Spira as a dream
by Josef Mojave
Summary: What really happened in FFX. The entire story is a spoiler with a twist. Starts right before the party reaches HOME.Warning: This whole story is one long spoiler because it follows the whole route through the game. Yaoi and Hetero Warnings as well.
1. Revelations

Disclaimer: I own nothing... but a lot of interesting dreams

A/N: This stays pretty close to the game story and i even used fmv dialoge to keep consistent but i really had a hard time believing that Wakka really liked Tidus so much because he looked like his brother (Tidus looks nothing like Chapppu) Well.. enjoy, or don't. Leave comments if you wish.

I opened my eyes, the blurriness from Sin's toxin finally wearing off. I find myself under water, gasping and coughing for air. I reach the surface and take a deep breath.

"Where am I?" I shout, only to find that I'm all alone. As I look around I have to squint, the blinding sun reflects off of the hot white sand into my eyes. …Sand? …Sin… Jecht…

"I forgive you this time, just try and be good for awhile."

I swim out of the water and find a chest full of elixirs, that'll come in handy while I'm all alone.

"Rikku? Wakka? Lulu? …Yuna? Kimahri? Auron? Anybody?" It's no good, just me and the desert, and something I awoke in the sand. A big black bird bore down on me, its wings trailing with darkness, its beak twice my size; it looked like it could cut me in half. I had to take action, but I'd never done this alone.

("Don't Cry")

I cast haste on myself and as I felt the adrenaline rush through my body I bounced up and slashed at the beast wildly. It didn't do much good, one flap of its wings and I was flat on my back and blinded. I felt like my whole world was caving in, and then I heard them.

"Need some help?" It was Auron; he's always been there when I needed him. I heard the beast crying out as a blade hacked into its bones, then a burst of fire engulfing the shrieking Zuu.

"Lulu, you too?"

"Yes." Nothing like hearing that sultry voice after a short, but unpleasant bout of loneliness. "Take this." She handed me some eye-drops and as my vision returned the beast exploded into a cloud of pyerflies.

"Where is everybody else?" I asked.

"Not with you?" Auron asked shortly.

"I don't know, but if every one is separated we should stay in one place." Lulu has a plan for everything.

"You can stay, but he's not." I replied with a smirk, pointing after Auron as he stalked off into the desert. He really is the trouble maker. We wondered through the desert for over an hour before we came to any kind of shelter. We made our way under some crumbling ruins just to stay out of the sun, we had cleared out a few sand dogs and some of those damn mech-runners and we found a tall orange haired man.

"Wakka!" It's good to see him. His carrot orange hair is still just as perky as ever in the scorching sun, although he doesn't look very happy to see us. I guess it's understandable.

"First I loose Yuna then I'm ambushed my Machina, damn!" He grumbled with a frown.

"It's okay Wakka, we'll find everyone," I said. Still, I wish he'd smile more often. We found Al Bhed first aid kits with a few potions inside. We brought them along just in case; Rikku will know how to use them. Auron lead us back out under the hot sun, searching for the rest of our party. We got pretty weary of fiends. By the time we spotted Kimahri I thought that I was gonna pass out from over exposure.

Kimahri was trying to climb up a sand dune, he'd get near the top then slip down and start on his way up again,

"Hey Kimahri, over here!" I waved at him.

"Yuna Gone." He said simply.

"It's not your fault Kimahri." Some times I just don't understand these people. Everything is about atonement, blame and punishment, why can't they just realize that bad things happen, and there's no good in blaming anyone.

("There's a point where you have to stop crying and move on") I guess Jecht's words were starting to sink in.

We started wondering through the desert, hoping that at some point we would find some shade or maybe a sign. By the time we found Rikku we were all completely baked and she was as cheerful as ever.

"Hey everybody! Where's Yunie?" Rikku asked with wide eyes.

"Not with you?" I spat out. It was too hot to think.

"No... Hey… I have something to tell you guys, but you have to promise not to say anything." She said looking over at Wakka. His eyes were filled with fire, for a second I thought he could glare us to death.

"You have to promise!" Rikku insisted.

"Come on Wakka!" I said clapping him on the shoulder.

"Promise, not to tell anybody… especially not Yevonites, they really hate us, you know? I know where we are. We're on Bikinel Island; the Al Bhed Home isn't far from here."

"And why do you have to insult Yevon, huh?" Wakka asked with a frown. All this prejudice was really wearing thin. Al Bhed, Spirian, Ronso, Guado, what does it really matter anyways?

"They did something really bad to us before."

"Well you Al Bhed probably—"

"Can you two talk about this later?" I interrupted. Rikku pouted and Wakka walked back over to Lulu, it wasn't a permanent solution but at least we started getting somewhere.

"Follow me!" Rikku shouted, running off into the desert. It was hard to keep up. We found a few High-Potions and Elixirs, even a few more pages of Al Bhed script but it wasn't really enough for me to understand. It wasn't long before we were moving at a crawl. I just couldn't walk any further.

"I think I'm lost." Rikku said softly. Great, just great, now what?

"Can't we just rest for awhile?" I asked finally. Auron grumbled a little, but I think even he was getting tired. "Well?"

"We can't wander forever…" Lulu agreed.

"Well… it can't hurt for a little while can it?" Wakka said, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"If you must, then let us rest. We are only stopping once." Auron grumbled.

We made our way to a broken old tower; it was enough shade for us to set up a small camp. Kimahri scaled the whole thing and kept watch for fiends or any sign of Yuna. Lulu set up a small area with Rikku and started a fire. Rikku's black magic is really coming along; I wish I could learn some of that. Wakka and I were around the other side of a wall, I think he wanted to get away from Rikku, and all I wanted was to be with him. He treated me like family as soon as we met, being with Wakka made me feel… Home.

"Uh… Wakka?"

"Oh, I didn't hear ya comin'." Wakka said, I guess I startled him.

"Uh… sorry… I just wanted to know if you wanted some company." I said, hoping that he hadn't heard my voice crack.

"That was a kind thought Bradda, but I think I just need time ta think, ya?" He said, scratching the back of his head.

"Come on, it might make you feel better…"

"I'm so confused ya know? We killed a Maester… A Maester! We defied Yevon!" Wakka said picking a rock up out of the sand and hurling it against the wall.

"Is that really so bad?"

"Of coarse it is!" He shouted back at me.

"Why?"

"Well… I don't… it just is! I've believed in Yevon ever since I was a kind, ya? It got me through my parent's death… and Chappu…" He trailed off looking down at his hands.

"Its goof that is got you through some bad times… but Rikku is right, you shouldn't just follow 'the teachings' blindly. Something weird is going on with Yevon, and I don't think that we're going to like it." I said, trailing my finger through the sand, looking up to see if anything I said had any affect on him.

"But, without Yevon, what is there to believe in?" He said softly looking up into the sky.

"Your friends I guess… yourself… you're a smart guy Wakka, you just have to get past Yevon, hating the Al Bhed, trying to atone all the time… You're worth more than that, and so is Rikku."

"…It's hard, ya know? To trust myself… how I feel… I can't be right. There's a thousand years of tradition that says I'm wrong, ya?"

"To hell with Yevon then! Just because someone tells you to be one way, it doesn't mean you should go along with it."

"But it's not just the Al Bhed, ya?" He said twiddling his thumbs and crouching closer to his knees.

"Liiike?" I asked leaning in to see his face. Wakka turned a brighter red that Yuna when Seymore proposed, and the longer he paused, the more my mind started to fill in the blanks.

"Never mind." He said, sitting back and pretending to be interested in the empty blue sky.

The sword, the rough housing, begging me to play blitz ball… it was so obvious; I was ashamed that I hadn't seen it before.

"Wait Wakka, just tell me." I said trying to suppress a grin.

"AH! I don' know what I'm say'n, ya?" Not the answer I was hoping for. "I mean, we got Yuna to worry about, right? So why spend time thinkn' about all dis?"

"Because, it's important."

We sat there in silence. I remembered thinking: 'Is Yevon enough to keep to people apart?' but then I already knew the answer. The more we sat there the more I missed Zanarkand, the attention, the freedom. I thought about how I can never go home, before I knew it I was humming the blitz ball theme… the Hymn of the Fayth, I think. By the time I noticed Wakka still sitting there I was already thoroughly embarrassed.

"Sorry." I mumbled.

"No, no… it's nice, ya? You have a nice voice." He said with a grin.

"That's not what Auron says." I chuckled.

"Well, he doesn' know anyting about it." He said smoothly, I think I almost blushed. "Hahaha, oh you're great, ya?"

"You don't need to make fun of me!" I said frowning at him.

"I'm not, is just… you tell me not to believe in Yevon, then you start humming the Hymn of the Fayth, funny ya?"

"It's not just the Hymn of the Fayth you know; I learned that song in Zanarkand."

"Really?" Wakka said his eyes showing all his surprise.

"Yeah"

'Praise be to Yevon' I thought, but when those words didn't follow I realized that something was already starting to change.

"You don' plan on going back when it's all done… do you?"

"Well… I dunno, haven't really thought about it." I lied.

"You can always stay with me, ya? At least until you find somewhere else to stay, ya know."

"Thanks"

We gave up camp after a quick meal. Rikku led us through a valley of sand monsters, and then a narrow pass.

"This way!" She said it so merrily, she had no idea what was is store.


	2. Home Under Seige

We went over the mountain of sand and found the Al Bhed home in flames, Guado fiends everywhere, the Al Bhed trying their best to hold them off.

"Oh no! We're under attack!" Rikku shouted, running towards home as fast as she could.

"Yuna's in there?" Wakka said bleakly. We followed Rikku into home and met one of Rikku's friends on their death bed. As we ran down the metal hallways we ran into a large man, from what I caught of their conversation he ran the Al Bhed Home.

"What was that all about?" I asked.

"That's Cid, the leader of the Al Bhed. After Sin destroyed the Island that we, the Al Bhed lived in, we were scattered to all corners of Spira. But then Cid brought everyone together and built Home… he's my dad." Rikku explained.

"Wow…"

"Come on, we have to save Yunie!"

"Not just Yuna, right?"

"Right!" As we made our way deeper into the halls of home we found more and more Guado, more death.

"Damn those Guado, what are they thinking?" Wakka grumbled, clenching his fists.

"They came for the Summoners." Rikku said with a sigh.

"You kidnapped them?"

"We were protecting them!" Rikku insisted.

"I understand why you did it, ya." Wakka said.

"Well I don't! The Summoners might get hurt on their Pilgrimage so you kidnap them? Why not trust the Guardians to do their job? If the Guardians do their job the Summoner should be safe, right?"

The silence was chilling; everyone just looked at the floor. As we all made it down the stairs the sirens stopped.

"Quiet now, Kimahri go." Kimahri said as he walked off into the 'Summoner's Sanctum', everyone followed silently and we found a room lined with bodies.

"YUNA!" Auron shouted, scanning the room.

"She's not here." Donna said softly.

Looking around the only fallen were Al Bhed.

"They died trying to protect us. It may not be much, but we will give them a proper sending." Issaru said his voice heavy with grief.

"Hey, what's a 'sacrifice'? The Al Bhed said that they're sacrificing Summoners…" Issaru's little brother Pacce said.

"What are you talking about?" It seemed like I was the only one who was lost.

"If a Summoner continues their pilgrimage they can go to Zanarkand, but if they… if she summons the Final Aeon it'll… Yunie'll die!" Rikku shouted, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"What! How could you LULU? Isn't she like as sister to you? Do something! Wakka?" I screamed at them.

"We tried to stop her." Lulu said softly.

"She knew what she was doing when she decided to become a Summoner." Wakka said, crossing his arms.

"Why did you hide it from me!"

"We didn't hide it… it's just…" Lulu trailed off.

"Some things are hard to tell." Wakka finished.

"AHHHHHHHH!" I screamed, I didn't know what to do, I felt sick and tired, and my mind was pulsing in my skull.

"It's not right! To sacrifice the Summoners so that the rest of Spira is happy…" Rikku said.

"And I've been saying 'let's go to Zanarkand' without even knowing, but Yuna, she would just smile." A memory of forcing laughter in Luca came to mind, I realized, that I hadn't seen through everyone's false smiles, especially Yuna's. It occurred to me that the only that I had seen on Spira were from Wakka and Rikku, they fight now, but they're so alike, cheerful and cute. I can put it together now, but then… I could barley get off the floor. "Yuna will not die!" I shouted, drowning out the words of Donna and Issaru about a sacrifice that had to be made. No one should have to make that sacrifice, no one.

"This place is done for!" Issaru shouted.

"You're right; we have to make it to the hangar!" Rikku shouted. Wakka helped me to my feet and led me onto the bridge, it was all a blur of Al Bhed that I couldn't think to translate, all I remember was yelling at Cid.

"Where's Yuna!"

"And what will you do when you find her?" Cid bellowed.

"I didn't know anything, about what a Summoner is supposed to do… I said all those things without knowing… I have to see her, to apologize."

"Apologize and then lead her to die? You Yevonites are all the same!" Cid shouted, knocking me to the ground before I even knew what hit me.

"No! I won't let her die!"

"Those are just words, I need action!"

"Yuna won't die!" I insisted.

"You better remember those words." Cid growled at me.

"I will." Even after I said it I couldn't understand how Wakka, Lulu, Kimahri and Auron could just watch and let someone they considered family die just so they could be happy. My thoughts were broken by that eerie singing.

"iiet yui noubou mei no leet nidi yo jyu you no asate kara e kutamaaeh, asate kara e kutamaaeh."

"What's happening?" Wakka said, looking around at the Al Bhed as they sang the song of sorrow.

"We're gonna destroy Home." Rikku said solemnly.

Our eyes were glued to the view screen as the missiles shot towards the Al Bhed home, landing in a mushroom cloud of sand, Rikku's eyes filled with tears. Braska, Jecht, Luzzu, Mi'hein, Kilika and now Home. The sorrow has to stop somewhere; I for one can't stand for anymore.

"Hey cheer up, ya? Is like happy festival fireworks, 'BOOM!'" Wakka said, trying to cheer Rikku up.

"You can take your happy festival fireworks and cram it you big meanie!" She shouted, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Way to go Wakka." I said frowning at him.

"I didn't mean it dat way… I shoulda just kept my big mouth shut." Wakka sighed.

"This is hard on us all." Lulu said closing her eyes.

"Yeah… I just wish we had some place to rest."

"Let's look for a safe cabin to rest in, ya?" Wakka said. Alone with Wakka, even behind the sorrow I couldn't help but be apprehensive, and excited, but then, what's the harm?


	3. Dreams and Nightmares

We went down the hall from the bridge, and curved around a long corridor Wakka was unusually quiet. We passed by the rooms filled with refugees, and finally found an empty room. It was more comfort that I'd seen in all of Spira, a big king sized bed, fantastic lighting, cumphy plush couches and carpeting, what looked like a bar. It felt like a hotel back in Zanarkand, at least somebody on this rock knew how to live… once.

"We should tell Rikku where we are ya?" Wakka said softly.

"Yeah" I found and intercom near the door and banged on the control until I was connected to the bridge.

"Cap'n Rikku here! What can I do ya for?" She said with a giggle. Even know as cheerful as ever, it was beautiful really, but it caught me off guard.

"I just wanted to see how the search for Yuna is going… and tell you that were gonna take a rest." I said awkwardly.

"Okay! Cid is using the sphere finder to look for Yuna, but he doesn't know how to use it so it could take days!"

"He doesn't know how to use it?"

"We're flyin around in the dark here because Yevon outlawed Machina… isn't this exhilarating?" Cid shouted over the intercom.

"Get away form there!" Rikku shouted, it sounded like there was a struggle.

"Hey!" Cid shouted in the background.

"I'll call if we need anything, now you and the big meanie get some rest. Rikku out!" I turned the intercom off without really thinking then turned back to Wakka who had been standing silently beside me.

"Is she gonna hate me forever for dat?" He asked with a bit of a pout.

"Are you gonna hate her forever for being Al Bhed?"

"I don't hate her… I just, she's a—"

"Rikku is just Rikku, Yuna's just Yuna and I'm just me." I said simply.

"I know, it's just—why is Yuna just Yuna?" he asked sitting down on one of the couches.

"Rikku and Yuna are cousins, she's half Al Bhed."

I could see him trying hard not to make a face, but it was clear that he still disapproved. I sat down on the bed and he just stared at me from one of the couches.

"And what about you, ya? You Al Bhed too?"

"No, but… would it really be so bad if I was?"

He took awhile thinking, then just turned to face the window, dismissing the question. I'm still waiting for an answer. I lay back on the bed to stretch my legs and was mortified again to find Wakka's attention completely focused on me. Well… not mortified… shocked maybe, but definitely embarrassed

"Uh…hi." I said looking up at him. I felt shy all of a sudden, like I had nothing to say. Maybe sharing a room was a bad idea.

"Hi…"

"You want to… lie down? I know you're tired… I could get out or your way…"

"No, no, no. you stay here. If anybody should leave it's me ya? You're already comfortable." He said awkwardly. His gaze never left me, and I started thinking; maybe it was a good idea after all.

"You can… um… lay down if you want to." I said meeting his hazelnut eyes as they searched me for an explanation.

"But you should—"

"It's no big deal, sharing a room, is it?" He blushed a little, thinking it over, and then decided it was okay, I guess. He hesitated for a moment before he joined me, and then a maddening silence filled the room.

"Wakka… why are you so nervous" I asked looking over at him, he just stared up at the ceiling.

"What'choo talking about, I'm not nervous!"

"Yes you are, you're all still and quiet. It's like you can't relax at all."

"It's nothing."

"Well… it's not everyday that we get any privacy… so I'm gonna make the best of it." I stood at the end of the bed in Wakka's line of sight, slowly removing my bracer and sword, setting them on a near by uniform, and then removing my blitzing uniform. I couldn't remember the last time I'd taken it off. Then I was left wearing nothing but my Zanarkand Abes pendant, earring and a thin pair of silky yellow boxers. Wakka gasped softly, holding his breath as I made my way back to the bed and slipped under the covers.

"Wh-what'choo doing? Dat's indecent, ya?" Wakka said, covering his eyes with his hands but still peeking.

"Relax Wakka! We're friends, right? So what's the big deal?"

"Yeah, but…"

"But nothing, just make yourself comfortable." I said with a mischievous grin. Wakka was lucky, if he thought this was risqué, because most of the time I didn't even wear underwear.

"Tidus… are you sure you're comfortable wit dat?"

"Yeah, I don't see what the big deal is as long as it's you." I said boldly, but I still wasn't sure if he got the message… or wanted it. He stared at me before, sure, but that didn't mean he could drop all of his fear and just be with me… did it?

"Well, I guess dat's good enough for me, ya?" He said softly, and then moved to the corner of the room, slipping off his Auroch's uniform. I had to take a moment to marvel at his thick tanned muscles, he was a lot bigger that me and it was definitely to my liking.

"Come on." I said, pulling back the covers. "It's a nice bed."

He walked over slowly, and looked me over shyly before sitting down and burying himself in a mountain of blankets.

"This is nice, ya? I don't think I've ever been on a bed this soft."

It was cute really, the way he snuggled into the light blue covers, his orange hair sticking out, bending against the pillow. I thought I'd melt just looking at him, but I decided to let him rest it had been a hard couple of days. I settled in staring at his broad back and slipped into a deep dreamless sleep.

_As I slept on I drifted into a dream. Yuna was calling to me for help, but I couldn't move. I was in a big circle, Lulu, Wakka and Rikku were by my side, trying to get me to move, each grabbing a limb and pulling in different directions. A they fought I could hear Yuna screaming in the background, yelling about how I'd failed her and how she'd gone to Zanarkand just like I'd asked. Rikku let go of my leg indignantly._

"_I thought you were going to bring me to Zanarkand!" She started crying, I didn't know what to do. Then Lulu threw my other leg to the ground._

"_I thought I was more your type, little boy." She started to cast a thundaga spell, though it was taking longer that usual. Wakka still held tightly to my arm._

"_Is okay, ya? I trust you even though you lied to me."_

"_I lied to you too Wakka?"_

"_You said I was da only one for you, ya?" He held his head low for a moment. And as Lulu cast her spell he threw me out of the way. It wasn't Thundaga after all, it was Death. The masked reaper burst out of a black cloud, its toy box laughter filling my ears and overshadowing everything. The reaper ripped out poor Wakka's heart and the crushed it, is body dropping coldly to the floor._

"_No! Wakka!" I screamed. The laughing never ceased, everything has blanket in darkness._

"_Didn't I tell you not to fall in love?" Auron's voice scolded. Then I saw Lulu cast death on Rikku, and then herself and it went silent except for the sound of me crying._

"_Kimahri fail! Everyone Gone!" He lifted up his spear and slit a line from his belly to his throat, blood spilling everywhere. He was added to the pile of bodies on the floor._

"_This is all your fault. You would do well to listen. Now there is nothing left binding me to this world." Auron said, pyerflies spilling out of his body one by one until there was a burst of white light and he was gone._

"_No! Auron come back! Don't leave me! Wakka!"_

I woke up to Wakka shaking me frantically.

"Is okay Tidus, I'm right here, ya? You're okay." He said in such a tender voice, I couldn't hold back. I just burst into tears right there, grabbing Wakka's arm for support.

"What's wrong, Bradda?"

"I-I had a bad dream." I sniffled, trying to pull myself together. "I'm so stupid, such a cry baby."

"Tidus, its okay to cry, ya? Nothin wrong wit being sad, specially after all we've seen." He said gently, still holding tightly to my shoulders.

"But it was just a dream." I tried to pull away from him, but he was holding my shoulders in place, making me look at him.

"Must 'a been some hell of a dream, ya? Why don'chyooo tell me about it?"

I looked at him for a long time, wondering weather I could tell him the whole story. He looked so concerned, holding me there, my back against the headboard. I didn't want to ruin it… what ever it was.

"I dreamt… that everybody died, and it was all my fault." I started to sob again, I couldn't help it. The image of all their bodies mixed in with the memories of the Al Bhed, and the Crusaders at Mushroom Rock, I'd never seen so much death. I don't know how they could stand it.

"Rough, ya? It's okay though, everytings gonna be alright, Bradda." He whispered, wrapping his arms tightly around me, and I didn't say anymore. He just let me cry. I never realized before that a good cry might've been what I needed, what all of us needed.

"Wakka?"

"Ya?"

"Thank you."

"No problem, what are friends for, ya?"

"…Wakka…" I decided it was worth the risk of being rejected, I snuggled into his arms, brushing my cheek across his strong chest as I wrapped my arms around him.

"Oi, uh Tidus…"

"I really like you Wakka, a lot." I said into his chest, hearing his breath catch and his heart thumping faster and faster.

"But…"

"Shhh, it's okay Wakka, you don't need to be afraid."

"But…"

"It doesn't feel wrong, does it?" I asked, snuggling closer, feeling his hardness press against my leg.

"I, uh… no, but…"

"But what?" I asked, leaning in, I didn't know if he would accept me, or turn me away, but I thought I saw something in his eyes that night, and I couldn't hold back any longer.  
"!" I brushed my lips against his; still holding him around the waist even after his arms went slack. I pulled back to look at him, he seemed surprised to say the least.

"Tidus!" He gasped, and stared at me wide eyed, his lips parted slightly. I started to think 'maybe this wasn't such a good idea' and then he spoke again in a whisper. "I-I like you too." He kissed me and boy what a kiss. His lips were firm and controlling, yet soft and loving, he kissed me again and again, running a hand up and down my arm and the other cupping my cheek. I parted my lips inviting his tongues, he tasted sweeter than I had expected, kind of like a tropical breeze. I pulled him over me as the kiss intensifies, his tongue ravishing mine roughly, I had already accepted his dominance.

"Wakka!" I moaned, as his lips roamed from my lips to my neck. I felt my way across his rich firm skin following every curve of muscle.

"Wh-what do we…? I mean… I've never… ah…" He laughed nervously, like I would mind. I could tell he was inexperienced, and nervous, it was just funny that he thought I might mind.

"It's okay, we'll go slow." I breathed kissing him tenderly as I sat him down beneath me, letting my hands wander down between his legs. I could tell that Wakka was 'happy to see me'. I ran my hand over him, caressing the hard mountain of fabric, listening to his sharp intake of breath between kisses.

"Tidus…" He moaned, already breaking a sweat, I unbuttoned his shorts quickly, I wanted him so bad my body was aching to be filled, but I knew he wasn't quite ready for that. I tried to get him to relax and lay back, but he was just too nervous. I planted a few kisses across his ribs, causing Wakka to chuckle, almost giggle really. Then I knelt before him, I though it would be funny to give him Yevon's prayer right then, before he let me love him. In retrospect it was way too soon to be making that kind of crack, but in the moment it didn't seem to matter. Wakka stiffened up completely when I first touched him, working him out of his shorts. I took a moment to admire his length; he was larger that I had expected another pleasant surprise. I looked up at him and smiled, he was flushed all over, knowing what I meant to do, but from the look on his face he didn't really believe it. I kept my eyes locked with his as I held his length, stroking it slowly and licking the tip playfully. He gasped as I tasted him, never taking his eyes off me. I took Wakka's head into my mouth, swirling my tongue around it and poking along the slit. I took him further into my mouth, until my lips were firmly around the root of his shaft and he was well down my throat. I licked along the underside fondling his balls with one hand, and sucking as hard as I could, gauging his reaction to every little lick and caress. I started bobbing my head up and down, letting him almost slip from between my lips before taking him back all the way down my throat again. I could feel Wakka's hands gripping my scalp as I sucked on him, it was sweet; he didn't push or pull, he just massaged my scalp gently, periodically running his fingers through my hair. He started groaning deep in his throat, his hips rocking into the pace of my lips and tongue. His breath hitched as I increased my speed, sucking hard in the whole of his length.

"Tidus" He groaned, gripping tighter in my hair as his seed shot hard down my throat, I swallowed most of or and as his hips gave their last twitches of orgasm I pulled back, letting the rest spill over my tongue. It was great, the way he tasted, the way he felt in my mouth, the satisfied look on his face as he gazed down at me, he laid back against the pillows finally, chuckling as I crawled up to lay nest to him.

"Dat was amazing, ya? You learn how to do dat in Zanarkand too?" He breathed, still chuckling. I thought it was best not to answer.

"I'm glad you liked it." I said, I knew I was grinning proudly, but I couldn't help it. It was about time for something this wonderful. 'It's like the dawn after the storm.' I thought, sharing slow sated kissed with Wakka, forgetting my needs and melting into his big strong arms. I felt safe, and loved for the first time since I came to Spira, the first time ever really. And I drifted into the best sleep of my life in his arms, feeling 'Home'.

But when I woke up, Wakka was gone.


	4. Holy Matrimony

When I returned to the bridge, I felt… awkward. Rikku was talking with her Dad in Al Bhed, Auron and Kimahri were talking, I still wonder what they had to say, Kimahri never talked much to me. And in the corner Lulu and Wakka were talking, friendlier than I'd ever seen them. I felt like, the night before had just been a dream, and I didn't belong in this waking world.

"Did you have a nice sleep Tidy?" Rikku said bouncing in front of me, I just shook my head, I couldn't even think about it, I didn't want to end up crying again, especially in front of Auron… but… especially in front of Wakka.

"Good morning," Lulu said with a smile, it's happier than I'd ever seen her. I thought, maybe Lulu did love Wakka after all. It was good seeing her smile like that, I decided to try and let it go, but still, I couldn't even look at Wakka.

"Morning Lulu," I said with a forced smile. I could see Wakka fidgeting in the corner of my eye, so I figured 'why bother with him' he obviously didn't want to see me anymore. I walked over to Cid at the Sphere finder. "Any luck with Yuna?" I asked hopefully.

"We found her! We found Yuna!" Brother shouted, it always struck me that he was a little too fond of his cousin.

"Good, where is she?" Cid bellowed.

"Bevelle," Brother said, as we got a picture on the big sphere, Yuna was wearing a beautiful white gown and her hair was up, she looked gorgeous, but she didn't seem very happy.

"Oh, Yunie!" Rikku shouted.

"What's with the fancy clothing, ya?"

"It's called a wedding gown." She said raising an eyebrow at him.

"What?"

"We have to save Yuna now!" I shouted.

"Hold your horse's son! It'll still be a couple of hours before we reach Bevelle."

I wasn't looking forward to a few more hours of wondering around the ship, but I caught a break when Rin came to the Bridge.

"There are fiends on board." He said calmly.

"Fiends! Well that's it we're gonna destroy the ship and go down with 'em, right dad?" Rikku said in her best Cid impression.

"Right!"

"Jeeze, show some restraint." She said, shaking her head with embarrassment.

"Let's go take care of those fiends," I suggested, I wanted to get as far away from the bridge and Wakka as I possibly could.

"Alright!" Rikku beamed.

"You've made some good friends here Rikku." Cid said with a smile.

"Right 'o pop, we'll have those fiends gone in no time." We all followed Rikku down from the bridge, slaying evil-eyes and behemoths as we passed. We didn't say very much, we'd paired up, Rikku, Kimahri and I went first while Lulu, Wakka and Auron followed. It didn't take long for us to fight out way down the third corridor.

"We have this section under control; we'll leave the rest to you." Issaru said proudly. Rikku nodded her thanks and we continues through the ship, passing by a few frightened Al Bhed psyches on the way, until we made it to the back of the observation deck. A random Al Bhed man stared at me. "I know I've seen you before, at Baaj temple, was it?" He said, it was odd, I didn't even know that there was a Baaj temple let alone why I would ever be there. I didn't have much time to think about it, because as we looked out the window a huge flying worm appeared beside the airship.

"What was that?"

"Eerave, the great Wyrm protector of Bevelle," Lulu said calmly.

"So that means we're getting close to Bevelle, right?"

"Yes," Auron said. "Into the heart of Yevon." I could see Wakka flinching at the name, but I really didn't care… Well maybe I did, a little. Cid's voice burst through over the comm. "You guys gotta get out there and show that thing what you've got!"

"Roger!"

"Oh and Rikku, tell me when to move the ship closer or farther away from the worm."

"Is everyone ready?" Auron asked, lifting up his Katana into position. "We fight!" We ran over to the hatch and passed Rin, who looked disappointed at loosing a sale. "No time to loose, lets go!"

We got on the lift and opened the hatch onto the deck, meeting the jumbo worm as it flew above us. I cast Haste on everyone, then watched a Rikku nimbly jumped up and pulled jewels out of it'd scaly skin, I still don't know how she does that. Then Kimahri threw his spear at the beast piercing it in the chest, even that wasn't enough to stop it. It swung its tail like a scythe and knocked us all over. That thing was strong; we had to finish it fast. Lulu rained Thundagas down on the beast while Wakka hit it with scores of Blitz balls.

"Move farther back," Rikku ordered.

Cid moved the ship backwards and let loose a volley of missiles, they completely obliterated the wyrm, it was the biggest explosion of pyerflies I hade ever seen.

We passed over Bevelle palace, Cid shot out two sets of cables, and we slid out onto the roof and stormed the wedding. We sliced through scores of palace guards, but it wasn't enough, more kept pouring out of every corridor.

By the time we reached the top of the castle, the wedding bells were already ringing, Seymour had his hands all over Yuna, and we were surrounded.

"Kill them," Seymour said with a wave of his hand. Maester Kinoc pulled out a blaster riffle.

"I thought those were forbidden Machina," Auron said with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"There are exceptions," Kinoc said with a chuckle. As he closed in to fire, Yuna ran towards the edge of the building.

"Stop! Let them go, or I'll jump!" Yuna shouted.

"But the fall would kill you!" Seymour protested.

"Yuna!" I yelled to her, she gave me a long meaningful look, her eyes willed with resolve, and then she just leaned over the edge letting her body fall off the building.

"YUNA!"

There was a flash of light in the sky and Valefor burst through the clouds, she swooped in and caught her carrying her off into the temple of St. Bevelle. We fought as hard as we could to find an exit and found ourselves locked inside a stair less tower. The room was filled with machines and florescent blue forced fields.

"So this is the true face of Yevon," Auron said bitterly.

"Machina?" Wakka said angrily.

"Here, I can get this to work," Rikku said bouncing over to the controls. It took her a few seconds and before I knew it we were on a floating platform entering the bowels of the temple.

"Do we know where Yuna went?" I asked nervously

"There's no doubt, there's only one place in Bevelle that Yuna would go." Lulu said, leading the way.

"The Fayth."

"Is everybody ready for the trials?"

"Of coarse we are, what do you expect Wakka? Let's go!" We ran into the room of the trials and we found long sterile mechanical halls and a floating platform.

"More Machina?" Wakka shouted.

"Don't look at me!" Rikku shouted back at him.

"They treated us like crap!" Wakka shouted, I remember he just looked at me, maybe with an apology, or maybe he just wanted sympathy. We finished the trial effortlessly, with Rikku's help and we found our way into the prayer room.

"Yuna's in there?"

"But—" Wakka said nervously.

"To hell with Taboos!" I yelled back at him as I ran up to the door. I pulled as hard as I could, but it wouldn't budge, Kimahri came and lifted the door up for me. He nodded and went in.

In the chamber of the Fayth I saw Yuna kneeling before the image of a small boy, he seemed familiar, like I'd seen him in my dreams maybe.

"What is this?"

"The Fayth are the souls of people who gave their lives to protect Spira incased in stone by the holy rights. When a Summoner prays, they awaken the Fayth, and when a Summoner and a Fayth merge their consciousness'' create an Aeon making the unreal real," Auron explained.

"Whoa." Was all I could say. Auron left, and I watched Yuna pray to this Fayth for a long time. Then the boy disappeared into Yuna's body and the singing stopped, she fell to the floor and I picked her up.

"No! Don't come out!" Rikku yelled, but it was already too late.


	5. Liberal Fatali

I woke up in a hanging cell with Auron.

"Let us out of here!" I screamed.

"They can't hear you."

"Where is everybody?"

"In another cell."  
"Enough talking, you are to stand trial." The guard yelled as they pulled us out of the cage. They took us to a dark chamber, as the lights slowly brightened a podium with all the symbols of the Fayth appeared, there were two that I didn't recognize. A booming voice started to speak. A Ronso Maester stood behind the podium.

"The High Court of Yevon is now in session. The sacred offices of this court seek nothing but absolute truth, in Yevon's name. To those on trial: Believe in Yevon, and speak only the truth."

"Maester Klek Ronso!" Lulu whispered.

"Summoner Yuna, you have sworn to protect the people of Yevon, true?" He bellowed.

"Yes."

"Then consider! You have inflicted dire injury upon Maester Seymour Guado, conspired with the Al Bhed and joined in their insurrection. These are traitorous and unforgivable crimes that disturb the order of Yevon. Tell this court what possessed you to participate in such violence."

"Your Grace… The real traitor is Maester Seymour! He killed his father Jyscal with his own hands!"

"What is this?" Klek shouted turning to the other Maesters.

"Hmm? Hadn't you heard?" Seymour said with a smirk.

"Not only that… Maester Seymour is already dead!" Yuna explained desperately.

"It is a Summoner's sacred duty to send the souls of the departed to the Farplane! Yuna was only doing her job as a Summoner!" Lulu shouted out to them.

"Grand Maester Mika… Please, send Seymour now!"

"Send the unsent to where they belong?" Mika asked petulantly.

"Yes" She nodded. Maester Mika started to laugh, I for one didn't like the sound of it. "Maester?"

"Send the dead… hm?" Mika asked, pyerflies spilled from the body of Maester Mika.

"So you mean he's already dead?" I shouted, it was completely ridiculous.

"Listen." Auron ordered.

"You would have to send me, too," Mika stated.

"What?" Wakka shouted, his eyes were about to bug out of his sockets.

"Grand Maester Mika is a wise leader. Even in death, he is invaluable to Spira," Klek explained.

"Enlightened rule by the dead is preferable to the misguided failures of the living," Kinoc gloated.

"Life is but a passing dream," Seymour said. "But the death that follows is eternal."

"Men die. Beasts die. Trees die. Even continents perish. Only the power of death truly commands in Spira. Resisting its power is futile."

"But What of Sin?" Yuna begged. "I am a Summoner, my lord, like my father before me! I am on a pilgrimage to stop the death that Sin brings. Are you… Are you telling me that too, is futile? Grand Maester Mika. I am not alone! All the people who have opposed Sin… their battles, their sacrifices—were they all in vain?"

"Not in vain, no matter how many Summoners give their lives, Sin cannot be stopped. Yet the courage of those who fight gives the people hope. There is nothing futile in the life and death of a Summoner."

"Never futile… but never ending."

"Indeed, that is the essence of Yevon."

"Lord Mika!" Yuna shouted to him.

"Yevon is embodied by eternal, unchanging continuity, Summoner,"

"No… that can't be right!" Yuna was trembling. Lulu was on the verge of tears and Wakka looked like he was going to vomit, I could see Rikku getting angrier by the second and Kimahri just stood there. Auron had known about all this, hadn't he? I didn't know what to think.

As I watched Yuna stand up there on the platform she got smaller and smaller, everything she'd believed in was a sham, everything they'd all believed in, and atoned for. It was sickening.

"Those who question these truths—they are traitors!"

"Lord Mika!"

After the trial we were led back to our cells.

"Aaah! Get me Outta here! I want out now! You hear me?"

"You waste your breath." Auron told me, I calmed down a little bit, but not much.

"Man, I hope Yuna's okay." And everyone else I thought.

"She's strong, she'll make it."

"She'll make it? What so she can die? Why is it… everything in Spira seems to revolve around people dying?"

"Ahhh, the spiral of death."

"Huh?"

"Summoners challenge the bringer of death, Sin, and die doing so. Guardians give their lives to protect their Summoner. The Fayth are the souls of the dead. Even the Maesters of Yevon are unsent. Spira is full of death. Only Sin is reborn, and then only to bring more death, it is a cycle of death, spiraling endlessly." Auron gave me just the pep talk I needed. Maester Kinoc came to the cell finally.

"Come out, your sentence has been decided."

"Sentence?" Auron said, raising an eyebrow. "Don't you mean execution?"

"Really now, what person would execute a dear friend?" Kinoc asked with a smile.

"You would." He said bitterly.

After that Auron and I were separated, guards led me to a giant waterway, basinets in hand.

"Looks like you're next!" the guard said, poking me in the back with the blade.

"Next for what?" but before I could get an answer he shoved me into the water.

"Get going!" The guard shouted at me.

"Where's everybody else?"

"Floating down there somewhere, maybe." I swam down a long underwater tunnel, eventually I found and opening. There I found Wakka.


	6. The Way Out

"Ooh! You made it!" Wakka said he seemed so happy to see me; he even gave me a high five. I was almost glad, but then I remembered the way he lied to me, and left me… I wished that I had been put there alone, or at least found someone else. Then Rikku swam up, thank goodness.

"What's our sentence?" I asked.

"Think they expect us to give up and die down here."

"Well, that's a lame way to kill someone."

"Where's Yunie?" Rikku asked with wide green eyes.

"I don't know."

"Wonder if we should wait for her…" Rikku asked shyly.

"Hmm… let's wait at the exit."

"If there is an exit."

"How about we split up and look for one?" I suggested.

"I don' know if das' such a—"

"Its fine, you and Tidy should go one way and I'll go the other."

"What?" Not exactly what I had planned.

"Ha-ha, das funny, but I think we should stay together ya?"

"Don't be silly, Wakkie, I know black magic remember? I'll be fine on my own; it's you two that I'd worry about."

"But…"

"Go on you two, I'll meet you back here in a couple of hours," Rikku said with a big grin as she swam away.

A couple of hours, with Wakka? A few says ago I would have been thrilled, but now… I just wanted to be somewhere else… anywhere else. We were silent for what felt like hours, just swimming, and trying to avoid each-other's eyes. After awhile it got lonely, I missed the time when we could just talk, and joke, rough house and have fun. I realized then that without Wakka, there wasn't really any fun in Spira.

"So… uh… Tidus… how you been?" Wakka asked nervously, not even making an effort to look at me.

"What do you care?" Wakka stopped swimming and just floated there, looking at me for the first time in days.

"I care!"

"Of course you care, that's why you lied to me and left me—"

"Tidus… can't we just forget dat happened? Start from scratch, ya?"

"Oh, you want to start from scratch, huh? Start again with Lulu and forget about me, right Wakka? I mean, you already used me, so why don't we just start over."

"Tidus, please… I—"

"Let me guess, you're sorry?" I said bitterly.

"What'choo want me to say, huh?"

I thought about it for a long time, all the things I wished he would say, and knew he wouldn't. I tried hard, to make sure that it didn't show.

"There isn't anything that you can say," I turned around and swam away from him. "I'm going to go find Rikku; you can keep looking on your own."

It didn't take long to find Rikku.

"Tidy! What are you doing here?"

"I… thought you might want some help."

"You left Wakkie all alone? Why are you two fighting so much?"

"We're not fighting…"

"I can tell, there's something going on," Rikku said, putting her hands on her hips.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay, but we better go check on Wakkie, and make sure he's alright."

"Fine."

"And you have to promise to tell me what this is all about later, okay? I'm here for you, ya know?"

"I promise."

We swam back through the old waterway for over an hour; by the time we found him he was already doing his best to fight the giant worm.

"Hey! Didn't we already kill that thing?" Rikku asked scrunching up her nose.

"Looks like dat wasn't good enough, ya?"

"I think it's a zombie!"

"Goody!" Rikku said with a big grin. "Then I can use Firaga on it!"

"Well, you want to do dat, yeah?"

"Okay!" Rikku cast as many rounds of Firaga as possible, Wakka barraged it with Blitz balls while I threw as many phoenix downs on it as I could, it didn't last long. With a last jolt of Thundaga Rikku killed it, and blasted the door open.

"Woo hoo! Nice shot, ya?"

We found our way out of the water and in front of Bevelle, where we met Yuna, Kimahri, Lulu and Auron.

"Yunie, are you okay?" Rikku asked, running up and grabbing her hands.

"Yes."

"It's good to see you." Lulu said, wrapping an arm around her.

"Lady Yuna." Maester Seymour said lightly. Seymour and Kinoc were blocking out path, along with a handful of Guado Guards.

"Kinoc!" Auron shouted as Seymour pushed Kinoc into the water, apparently he was already dead.

Kimahri grabbed his spear and impaled Seymour, but that didn't seem to faze him.

"I cannot let you pass." As Seymour stared at us the space around him started to swirl, the guards and Kinoc's body turned into pyerflies and transformed him. He looked like a stone angel that protects people's graves, accept evil.

"Yuna, Go!" Kimahri yelled at her. We all ran, leaving Kimahri behind, but Yuna stopped us before the gates.

"I won't leave him."

"Yuna, he is a guardian, he had sworn to protect you." Auron said, trying to urge her on.

"We're all guardians, hey, I'm a guardian too."

"So?" she asked with hopeful multi-colored eyes.

"So, it's my job to protect you Yuna. So that means, where ever you go Yuna, I'll follow."

"Really?"

"Yeah!"

"Let's go!" She said running back across the bridge.

"Hey! I'm coming too!" Rikku shouted running after her.

"Wait for me!" Wakka shouted.

"I think I'll go too." Lulu smiled at Auron and chased them. When we got back to Kimahri he just shook his head, but I could tell he was happy to see us.

"He may not be the Kinoc that I knew, but you will not get away with murdering my friend," Auron grumbled.

"You're not gonna touch Yuna, you freak!" I screamed at him.

"Hmm, you would keep me from my bride?" Seymour asked with what would pass as a smile on his mutated face.

"I won't let you go!" Yuna shouted, holding out her wand.

"Fine then, try and stop me!"

Yuna tried to Summon Shiva, but as soon as she appeared Seymour sent her away, along with all the other Aeons. Wakka, Auron and I all tried to attack his body, but the thing connected to his back healed him and turned Auron to stone.

"Auron!" Rikku shouted, casting an Al Bhed potion on each of us.

"Thank you." Auron said, exercising his stiff limbs.

"So dat's what those are for!" Wakka said, obviously amazed at how much stronger he felt.

"What do we do? We can't attack his body." Lulu said, casting reflect around us as we planned.

"Kimahri know." Kimahri jumped up and slashed the thing on Seymour's back to ribbons.

"Now, attack his body, give it everything you've got!" Auron yelled. It was an orgy of magic and slashing, but before long Seymour's body fell. We ran from Bevelle as fast as we could, a horde of soldiers chasing after us. People were everywhere, and it looked like a riot began before we got clear into Makalenia woods.


	7. Yuna's Decision, Tidus' Mistake

We set up a small camp, Rikku and I went in search of fire wood while everyone else set up tents.

"I wonder what Yunie'll do, think she'll quit her pilgrimage?"

"That's what you want, right?"

"Well… if Yunie really wants to keep going, then… I guess I shouldn't stop her, you know? That's what I think anyway."

"I guess…" We were quiet for awhile. I could feel Rikku's sense of defeat, in giving up on stopping Yuna, she was letting her die, and I could feel her guilt as she gathered brush. As I was picking up a few dry old branches, she seemed to brighten up.

"Are you ready to tell me what the problem is now, Tidy?"

"Not yet," I said shyly.

"Okay, but I won't be this patient forever!" she said with a big smile, handing me another log. "That looks good, let's go back to the camp before those Bevelle soldiers find us."

"Good idea."

We slipped through a thicket of trees, passing right behind the guards, and back over to our campsite. It looked like Lulu and Wakka were going to share a tent. I thought I was going to be sick, but Lulu looked so happy, how could I argue with that? Wakka obviously didn't want me, I thought. It was time to let go, and stop crying. Lulu smiles at me as I walked up, a rare real smile that showed in her eyes.

"Yuna's off in the woods, Kimahri's with her but maybe you should go too?" I had a feeling that Lulu was trying to set me up. But then, she was only trying to help.

"Thanks Lulu."

I looked at Wakka for a long moment, I don't think that he noticed, but I was trying to say goodbye in my head.

"Maybe you should talk to her." Auron said softly.

"Alright already."

I found Kimahri by the lake; he stood silently, watching over her. Yuna was standing in front of a great Makalenia tree covered in stones, she was talking to herself.

"I always thought it would be easier some how, I thought that everyone would help me. With all of my friends by my side… I've been trying so hard."

I stepped into the water; it was cool, but not cold, and soothing. It reflected all of the lights of the stones and the spheremora crystals in the trees. It was beautiful in the moonlight, magic even, but the forest seemed sad, leaves falling into the lake like the trees were crying for Yuna.

"Maybe you're trying too hard."

"Oh!" She turned around, I think she was embarrassed, but I knew she was happy to see me. Yuna was always happy to see me.

"They told me… everything."

"Everything?" she said airily, I knew she would have made me forget if she could, unfortunately Summoners don't have that power.

"Everything." I repeated softly.

"Well… so, then you know." Her voice trembled like she was going to cry. After all her smiles, fake or not, I didn't want to see her like this.

"I'm sorry. It's just, you know… all those things I said, like 'Let's go defeat Sin' or about Zanarkand, and I didn't know… I didn't know what would happen to you Yuna. I guess I just hope it didn't make you Sad. Forgive me."

"I wasn't sad. I was happy." She said softly, staring into the refection in the water. I was so relieved that I hadn't upset her, but her response made me… uncomfortable. I swam around the lake trying to relax, and sort out what I was going to do. I was so sad, and… confused, she said I'd made her happy. That's all I really wanted, after giving up going home, to make someone; anyone happy. What more wrong could I do, I thought. What harm would there be in trying to convince Yuna to live.

"Yuna… just don't do it."

"The Pilgrimage?"

"Yeah, that's right. Forget all about Sin, and being a Summoner, forget all that. You know, live a normal life… come on Yuna, what do you say?"

"Maybe I will…" It seemed too good to be true, but I had to hope, at least for a little while, that we could all be okay.

"Wouldn't everyone be surprised…?"

"Except Rikku, she'd be with you. Lulu and Wakka wouldn't hold out long."

"Kimahri would say yes too, I know, but Sir Auron…"

"I'd make him understand Yuna, it's the least I can do for you."

"No. I should tell him, he deserves it."

I couldn't believe that she'd really said she would give up her Pilgrimage, but 'this is it' I kept thinking. 'We all get to live in peace.' Yuna swam out over the depths of the lake and just looked up at the moon floating on her back.

"What'll I do if I give up my Pilgrimage?"

"Hey! Zanarkand! Let's go to Zanarkand! Not the one in Spira, my Zanarkand, Yeah! We can all fly there, everyone can go. Then we'd have a big party at my place!"

"And we could see Blitz ball, your Zanarkand Abes would play?"

"Mhmm"

"We could all watch you play, in the stadium, all lit up at night. I'd cheer and I'd cheer until I couldn't cheer anymore."

"Yeah, right on!"

"Well, what about after the game?"

"After the game? …then we'd go out and have fun."

"In the middle of the night?"

"Yeah, no problem! Zanarkand never sleeps. Let's go to the sea, before the sun rises the city lights all go out one by one, then the stars fade and the sea turns red. It's kind of rose colored, right? First in the sea, then it spreads to the sky, then the whole city. It gets brighter and brighter, till everything glows. It's really… pretty." It was then that I knew, I was just kidding myself. "I know you'd like it."

"I would love to see it, some day."

"You can Yuna, we can both go." I could see her tears trickling into the lake; I thought that I had hurt her. I knew that Yuna loved me, ever since she asked me to be her guardian. I didn't want to make her cry. I just wanted to bring some real happiness into her life, even if it was only right before the end. "Yuna…"

"I can't… I just can't. I can't go!" She just burst into tears, and I couldn't stop it. I didn't want her to hurt anymore, and honestly, I wanted to feel loved too. I wished more than anything that the seven of us all could have gone to Zanarkand and left Spira, Sin and Yevon behind.

"Yuna." I touched her arm gently and tilted her head up so that I could look her in the eyes. It was so loving, and innocent, the way that she looked at me. I couldn't resist kissing her. She was so soft and gentle, I could feel the way she felt for me in her touch. We soothed into slow, sweet kisses, and I pulled her into the lake. The lake was so beautiful in the moonlight, and Yuna was so sweet, she held my hands tightly and smiled, the first real smiles I had ever seen on her face. I wanted Yuna to smile more. We kissed and she held me so tightly, we floated blissfully in the water until our air ran out and we emerged on the other side of the tree.

She was laughing, I remember looking from my clothes to hers, we were completely soaked and she found it ridiculously funny.

"Tidus! That was amazing!" She whispered.

"Well, if you think that's amazing, you should—" I stopped when I realizes what I was about to say.

"Can I? Please?"

"Wha—but I… are you sure…" I decided to pretend that I hadn't heard it. She didn't know what I was talking about. "We should probably go back to camp, or you'll catch cold."

"Do we have to?" She said is a soft voice.

"Well, no, I mean we can stay here if you want, but I don't want Auron yelling at me if you get sick."

"Well… maybe we should let out clothes dry."

"I don't need to dry off I play Blitz ball remember? This thing gets wet all the time."

"Oh." We just kind of sat there in the moonlight for awhile; she kept scooting closer and closer to me. "I'm cold." She said leaning up against me. I could see her blushing as I wrapped my arms around her. "Tidus… I-I want to be close to you."

"We are close." I said with a sheepish grin. She just sat there and looked up at me, she was serious. It's not that I didn't want her, it's just I hadn't expected anything like this. "Are you sure Yuna?"

"Yes, Tidus, I love you." She looked so deeply into my eyes for a response; I didn't know what to do. I just leaned in and kissed her, gently at first. She leaned back against the tree, kissing as she ran her hands across my body trying to unbutton my uniform. I pulled on her robes gently, untying the bow on her back and releasing the belt around her waist. She finally loosened my uniform, and I shrugged it off. I showered her with kisses as I slipped off her robes, revealing her perfect alabaster skin.

"Yuna, I—"

"It's okay. I've never done this before, but I really want to." It was mind numbing, all I could think about was the beautiful naked girl under me, practically begging for it.

"Having an affair on your wedding night?" I said with a smile, running one hand over her breast while I slid the other down her stomach and between her legs.

"I suppose I am." She said with a giggle, kissing me frantically. Yuna was blushing all over.

"Just relax okay? This'll feel a little funny—at first, but I want to make sure that it doesn't hurt."

"Okay." She said, wrapping her arms around my neck and holding on tightly. I worked a finger inside of her, almost drooling at how tight she felt. I slipped a second finger in, stretching her playfully, and her breaths quick and wispy.

"How does that feel?" I asked licking my lips.

"Oh… it feels good." She said closing her eyes. I kissed her again and again, trying not to think about how different their lips felt.

"Are you ready?"

"Ooh, yes." It was gratifying to see her there, all blushing, and covered in sweat, her legs spread in front of me. I slipped out of my boxers and laid her down on a flat place in the tree.

"Are you sure"

"Yes, please!"

I positioned myself above her, kissing her tenderly and I rammed into her, breaking through the barrier. She gasped in my mouth, but I never stopped kissing her, even as I kept still, waiting for her body to adjust to being penetrated. She whimpered a little as I started to move, I was slow at first but I couldn't help speeding up after awhile.

"Oh Tidus!" She moaned in my ear, her arms wrapped tightly around my back. "Oh! Oh! Oh! Ooh!" She got hot fast, her body tightening around me quickly, making me want to explode.

"Yuna!" I cried, thrusting into her slowly and planting sweet kisses along her neck. I held her crushingly tight as I pumped into her, feeling her tighter around me.

"Oh! Ooooh! Tidus! I love you! Oh!" She moaned as she came, hot liquid covering me as her muscled constricted.

"Oh, yes!" I came inside her forcefully, she squealed at how it felt, and then we just lie in each-other's arms, looking up at the shimmering crystals in the trees.

"It's getting late."

"Yeah, they're probably wondering where we are."

I helped Yuna get dressed and then we sat on the bank, looking out into the forest.

"I'll continue. I must… If I give up now, I could do anything I wanted to, and yet… even if I was with you I could never forget."

"I'll go with you."

"What?"

"I'm your guardian, unless I'm …fired?" I thought that I should be fired. I was supposed to protect her, but I didn't protect her from myself. It was sad really, because Yuna was in love, and now I was obligated to be hers. Yuna shook her head 'no' she was smiling so brightly.

"Stay with me until the end. Please." She bowed shyly, and I felt there was something sad about her feeling like she had to beg me to stay with her after we'd had sex.

"Not until the end… Always."

"Always then" she was glowing. Yuna looked so beautiful and pleased; I didn't really mind being hers, much.

I saw Kimahri walking back to the camp and hoped that he hadn't seen us.

"You're not-I mean, it doesn't still hurt, does it?"

"It does, but I don't mind."

"Why don't you just use cure, I could-"

"No! I'm fine, I like being reminded that we were together." I think I blushed when she said it, because she started giggling again.

"We should probably, uh, go, right?"

"Maybe you should head back to camp first."

"Roger!"

I left the lake slowly, it was so beautiful outside, and I was worn out. I was admiring a blue butterfly when I heard her whistle; I ran back towards the lake and bumped into Yuna.

"Wait, I'll go with you!" She said shyly. I nodded at her and continued walking, she caught up to me quickly and grabbed a hold of my hand. It was a beautiful night.

When we returned to the camp everyone was there waiting for us. Rikku had a big goofy grin on her face, and WaKKa looked the most upset I had ever seen him. I wondered if he and Lulu had had a fight. Yuna let go of my hand before Auron could see.

"Tidy, did she decide to quit the pilgrimage?" Rikku asked hopefully.

"No, I'm sorry." I went back behind the crowd and readied my tent.

"Sir Auron, Wakka, Lulu, Kimahri, Rikku, everyone, we leave at dawn… and I'm sorry for putting you through all this and… um"

"Enough. You need your rest." Auron said soflty, Yuna started blushing again.

"Yes, goodnight."

Lulu and Yuna disappeared into a tent, and Wakka went in with Auron. Kimahri went to stand guard and Rikku climbed up a tree. After all that, I was still sleeping alone.


	8. The Calm Lands

I woke up early, the first thing I saw was Lulu sitting alone out in the open.

"Lulu, aren't you afraid of someone seeing you?"

"No, the guards sounded like they were having some trouble in Bevelle."

"Oh." I didn't really know what to say. Lulu was always good to me, even when she tried not to show it. But now, even though she didn't know it, she had everything that I wanted. 'How am I supposed to act like its okay?' I thought. I wished this was the type of thing that I could tell Auron about, he always helped me find what I needed to know…but…after my night with Yuna; I couldn't be telling anyone anything.

"Tidus!"

"Huh?"

"Are you alright? You've seemed kind of… down maybe… is something bothering you?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Really?"

"Time to get up," Auron said as he climbed out of his tent. It was always an order with Auron. He took charge and left us all with no room to argue; I remember wondering why he pushed us so hard to meet the end. But then, he knew all the secrets.

We made our way through the outskirts of Makalenia woods until finally we arrived at a vast green field. The earth was cracked with big fissures and the miles and miles of flat grassland were cradled in mountains.

"These are the Calm Lands," Lulu said. "The road stops here. After this point there are no cities and no villages, just open plains. Many Summoners loose their way in these plains."  
Yuna lied down in the grass. She looked up at the sky and spread her legs out as if she were floating on water.

"I've always known where to go, somehow." She seemed so sad. I couldn't just let her sacrifice herself like that's what she was born for, it was wrong.

"Yuna, I wont let you die. I promise I'll find another way," I said offering my hand and helping her to her feet. I told Yuna I wouldn't let her die, hoping that somehow words would make it real. We spent days walking down the slope from Makalenia and everyone was so somber. I guess it was because the closer we came to Zanarkand; the closer we came to loosing Yuna. We ran into that old man, Maechen, the scholar.

"Would you like to hear about the calm Lands?" He asked, when I nodded yes he continued. "As you already know this was a battle ground. A great battle between Bevelle and Zanarkand, a Melee of Machina, that war left this land barren and withered. And then, time passed. The Summoners noted this uninhabitable land, great battled could be waged here without harm to common folks. When the Summoners battled Sin they came here. I can't imagine how they felt on this plain, about to rid Spira of Sin and bring the Calm. That is why it is called the Calm Lands, though it is unknown who first coined it. Oh, there's one more thing. There is a scar left on the land from the high summoned Gandolf's final summoning 400 years past. It leads into a deep fissure… And that as they say is that." That old man new more about Spira than Yevon himself, or even Auron. I always wondered how he managed to know everything about everywhere, but I never figured it out.

"Looks like dere's an inn over dere ya?" Wakka said with a smile, I wasn't in the mood to see him smile.

"It looks Al Bhed; you think you can handle that Wakka?"

"Tidus!" Lulu shouted. Wakka didn't say anything, he just hung his head low and kept walking, and I guess he just can't handle the Al Bhed. When we got to the inn an old Yevon monk ran up and spoke to Lulu. It looked like they'd known one another awhile. I heard the words traitor and Yevon, and that was all I needed to know. I was sick of Yevon, its laws, its followers, the hold it had over Spira. No wonder Zanarkand and Bevelle were at war, the people from Bevelle were crazy. I went inside and found a room for myself.

I don't know how long I had to relax, but I found myself roused at the sound of knocking.

"Oh Tidy, open up! Come on, Open Up!" Rikku shouted cheerfully.

"Okay, Okay just a second." I got up and unlocked the door. Once she came in she locked it again behind her.

"Okay Spill!"

"What?"

"What happened with Yunnie?"

"Oh… I um… I thought this was about—"

"Wakkie? You can tell me about that too, you know?" She sat down on the bed and pulled me over next to her.

"Well… you promise not to get mad?" I said trying to smile. I could feel my face getting hot even thinking what I was going to tell her.

"Promise."

"I'm in love… or I was…"

"With Yunnie? …Wait what do you mean 'was'?"

"Well you see…" I told her all about Wakka, and why I was so cold to him. She seemed to understand better than I had expected. But then I told her about that night with Yuna, and she seemed uncharacteristically grim.

"You… slept with Yunnie?"

"Yeah."

"But you don't love her?"

"…"

"That's bad! She's really crazy about you, you know?"

"I know."

"Then why did you do it?"

"I don't know…" I told her about Yuna's sadness, and how I'd wanted to make it all go away. I told her how lonely it was, that I'd wanted to feel loved by someone and I could never go home. And I told her how happy Lulu looked after Wakka left me. How he wanted to 'just start over' and 'forget it'. I started crying, but she didn't mind. Rikku's a good listener, and in the end I think she really understood.

"Don't worry Tidy; it'll be okay… somehow. We'll figure out a way to save Yunnie, then you and Lulu will have forever and a day to fight over Wakka, and we can all work things out and be happy, you know?" She said holding my hand gently.

"Yeah, thanks Rikku." Her optimism seemed as silly and hopeless as my won, just grabbing for anything to make it alright. There was something about the way she said it though, 'we would all be happy' she made me wish for it more than anything in the world.

"Tidy, you shouldn't hate Wakka, you know?"

"What happened to Wakkie?"

"That bit Meany doesn't get a nickname when I'm mad at him!" The face she made was so cute, it was her attempt at looking strict or angry, but it wasn't very convincing. "Yay! Tidy, I haven't seen you really smile in a while. I was getting worried, you know?"

"Yeah."

"But… you really should try and work things out with Wakka, at least be friends. It's not his fault he still hasn't gotten all that Yevon out of his brain, it'll take time, you know? But you and Wakkie were always so happy together… at least as friends."

"Yeah, maybe you're right." I gave Rikku a big hug, it was nice to hold someone so soft and gentle, but totally hyperactive, her heart was beating a million miles a second, just like you'd expect from her.

"Okay… I'll go talk to Wakka."

"Heh, he's in the 3rd room to the right."

"Thanks."

I went down the hall to Wakka's room. I knocked on the door lightly, but no one answered, so I tried the door knob. It was unlocked.

My mouth went dry when I saw what was behind that door. My heart twisted into my stomach. Deep throated moans filled the hall, and I went completely stiff as I saw them. The bed was a mess, the sheets all thrown to the floor, the bed creaking wickedly under their bodies.

"Wakka…" I whispered. I couldn't help it. He was sprawled out on the bed, all his muscled tense and flush with heat, he was drenched in sweat, and his brows knit in an effort to hold back. Lulu was riding him roughly, her braids of hair spilling over to their sides, her hands pressed firmly on his chest and her breasts bouncing with every thrust of her hips. His hand was on her thigh, steadying her, while the other was digging into the sheets. I couldn't help gawking, the heart ache was dizzying, but even more than that, they were hot. Wakka stretched out, totally relaxed, unlike when he was with me. And Lulu just rode him without any restraint. She had this big gorgeous smile on her face and this look of concentration, there was more passion in Lulu than she would let us see. I backed away, I didn't want to see anymore, I bumped into the doorway and that's when Wakka's eyes caught me. He just stared into my eyes, biting his lip and fighting a shutter of pleasure down. I don't know how he could just look at me while he was with someone else, but it made me feel sick, maybe I saw a look of sympathy in his eyes as I backed away, but maybe I didn't. I closed the door, finally breaking eye-contact with him. I felt dizzy leaning on the door for support, I could hear their cries, I had to get out of there. I walked down the hall and didn't notice Auron or Kimahri, at first.

"You look pale, are you alright?" Auron asked, his tone still as stern as ever.

"Y…yeah ! I'm fine!" I said way too enthusiastically, I was starting to sound like Yuna. Auron just grunted and looked me over pointedly.

"What? Hey, where's Yuna?"

"Yuna tired, Yuna rest." Kimahri said giving me a look.

"Don't you go wearing our summoner out every day now." Auron said in a serious tone, I couldn't believe what he was saying.

"I—uh …wha'do you… I need some rest okay? I'm really tired." I said weakly. They just looked at me, Kimahri had a small curve in the corner of his lips. Auron had an outright smirk now. "Okay… I'm, uh… going to bed." I ran back to the room as fast as I could. Rikku was sprawled out on the bed with her eyes closed. I was glad I wouldn't have to talk about it for awhile.

"How'd it go Tidy? You and Wakkie buddies again?" She kept her eyes closed, but stretched out against the bed.

"Well… I… they were… He was buisy."

"Buisy doing what?"

"Lulu."

"Oh!" Her eyes went wide open when it hit her, what I meant. "Oh no! Tidy are you okay? You saw them?"

I nodded yes, and the look on her face saddened. She was always so sympathetic.

"Oh Tidy! Come here, I wasn't expecting anything like that, you know?" She pat in front of her in the bed, and when I sat down she pulled my head to her chest and just held me. It was nice. The way she ran her fingers through my hair, it reminded me of Wakka. I just couldn't stop crying that day. I had to just let it all out so that I could move on. Rikku spent the night with me, she just curled up by my side and laid her cheek down on my chest. It was comfortable. I drifted into a sort of half sleep, and I dreamt that Wakka came in the middle of the night. He sat down in a chair across from the bed and just looked at me.

"Wakka… what are you doing here?" I grumbled, too relaxed to get up or really worry.

"You sure do break alotta hearts, ya?"

"Don know what'choo talkn' about."

"Me, then Yuna and now Riku? Who else? You kind of a slut ya?" He sounded angrier than I had ever heard him, and something else.

"I didn't break anybody's heart. You left me. It was a mistake, I thought it would be good with you but you just left me. You're the heart breaker here. You don't even care…now I don't even have a person to rely on in all of Spira… like a friend… or anything…it was a mistake." I dreampt that I said all of the things I wanted to say to him. "I wanted you to love me too, but it didn't work. And now you're with Lulu… you better love her."

"And what about you, ya? Two cousins in a row? You love dem too?"

"Two? I slept with Yuna, it was… nice but she kind of talked me into it. How could I say no to her? She's willing to sacrifice herself for all of us, so I decided to be with her, I know she loves me. A lot…"

"What about Rikku?"

"We didn't do anything, she's taking care of me. Maybe I do have a real friend here."

"You irresponsible, what if Yuna—"

"What do you care Wakka? It's none of you're business who I sleep with. Or who I love. So you can just go to hell with your Yevon and your concern. You left me, and that's the end of it. I don't care anymore. We can have it your way. It never happened, I don't like you, so get out and don't bother me anymore." I snuggled up against Rikku and closed my eyes. I dreamt that he left without another word. And when I awoke it occurred to me that it might not have been a dream, the chair wasn't were we'd left it.


	9. Hidden Aeons and the Monster Arena

When I went outside, the air was so clear and magical, it fizzled with white magic, and I could tell that Summoners had left their mark. Everyone was spread out and waiting for Auron to arrive, it's odd; he's not usually the one who oversleeps. I walked over to Lulu, who looked particularly well rested.

"Who was that guy who came earlier?"

"That was Father Zuke. Wakka and I were his guardians, hut his pilgrimage didn't last long. He was the second summoner that I guarded, and they both ended up here." Lulu said softly.

"That was before, I told you about when I was too into the game to be a good guardian, so when he wanted to call it quits I was with him, yeah? He only went halfway," Wakka explained.

"Well, you're both good guardians now."

"Thanks," He said softly. It felt weird talking to Wakka, but I had to get over it sometime.

"So we're traitors now?" Yuna whispered softly.

"What does it matter what they call us? You're doing what's right Yuna."

"You're right, thank you." Yuna said, she had this girlish grin that said I love you. 'This may have gotten a little out of hand' I thought. Auron finally made his way out.

"We are blamed with Kinoc's death, we should stay clear of monks, and you should know that Klek ronso left Yevon." He said tipping his sunglasses.

"Really?"

"Yevon is in disarray, it should be easier for us to travel" Auron said as we headed off.

Rikku and I discussed making sure we keep Yuna safe, we decided to think of a plan, but she was having a little trouble. An Al Bhed at the edge of the area told me that Cid would come get us when they were done with repairs but until then I had to keep Yuna safe. As we searched the Calm Lands for an exit we ran into that wandering summoner, I think her name was Belgamine.

"Oh, you again. You're quite the notorious traitor these days." She said with a glint in her eyes.

"What's it to you?" I asked standing in front of Yuna, she didn't need any more trouble than she'd already had.

"Ah, you shouldn't take what the Maesters say too seriously for summoners, destroying Sin is everything. We are no tools for Yevon, understand?"

"Yes," Yuna said with a small nod.

"So are you up to the task?" she asked with a mischievous smile.

"I do not know, but I will do my best."

"You've got spirit, but you'll need more to beat sin. An Aeon duel! Show me what you're made of… but before we begin…" Belgamine healed Yuna; Auron seemed particularly interested in the battle. We both stood by and watched.

Belgamine let loose a barrage of ice, and Shiva appeared.

"Choose your Aeon well summoner." Yuna closed her eyes and concentrated as she wrote letters of fire with her wand. Ifirit jumped out of the sky making the ground tremble. He ripped up a chunk of the earth, lifted Shiva up in a ball of fire and hurled the ground at her. She landed hard, but still stood proudly. Shiva cast a double Blizzard on Ifirit, but Yuna had Ifirit cast fire on himself to heal. Yuna has become a much better summoner. Ifirit shot bursts of flames and Shiva danced over and kicked him, it went back and forth for awhile. Ifirit hit a second overdrive and that was the end of it, he held her up in a wreath of flames and crushed her between two chunks of ground and pyerflies spilled out everywhere as she disappeared into thin air.

"Stop, that is enough. Impressive. Remarkable talent, traitor or no, you may have what it takes to beat Sin. Take this, you have earned it." Belgamine gave Yuna an 'Aeon Soul' whatever that is.

"Thank you," Yuna said with a soft smile.

"I think you will do just fine. But if you ever feel like you want more training, seek the hidden temple of Remien, I will be waiting there. Farewell."

We went on to the north, and came upon a rigid rock wall. We followed it till we found a break; inside we found an old crusader training center. Some how we got roped into collecting all the monsters so that it would be reopened, I'm still not entirely clear on how that happened. We searched the Calm Lands up and down, and on our way we ran into a woman on a chocobo.

"I hope you're not planning on crossing this place on foot," she said mockingly.

"I want to ride a chocobo!" The looked like so much fun, all fluffy and as fast as a transport.

"Well these plains are home to lots of wild chocobos. First we must train them to be dependable mounts. I am training some chocobos now, but they're not quite tame yet. I'm sorry I can't lend you any. Walking might be faster than waiting for one of my chocobos."

"Let me train one!"

"That's easier said than done. It's not that simple, you know. You're sure you want to try?"

"Of course!"

"All right, come with me."

She taught me how to get the chocobo to run in a straight line and after that we were chocobo bound. At the edge of the cliff we ran into an old man.

"This gorge is called the scar. They say that when the high summoner cornered Sin, Sin tore the earth here asunder with the last of it's strength. The high summoner and Sin struck each other down at the gorge's bottom. Lord Gandolf's sacrifice brought us the calm." We all looked over the gorge, it was amazing, but I didn't want to think about anymore sacrifices.

We ran around on the chocobos for a long time, and found nothing of any interest. The air was cleaner that anything like home and almost as nice as on Besaid Island. I had once considered making a home on that island but now, it didn't seem like there was anywhere for me to go. As we passed by the entrance back to Makalenia the chocobos got spooked and jumped over a pile of rocks to a place that we had never been before. We passed through the crevice and found a giant temple suspended between two great walls of rock. We followed a long thin bridge and a walkway up to the large stone door, there were glyphs on the door, I recognized them from the Maesters chamber.

"What is this place?" Rikku said we were all in awe of our surroundings.

"A temple, there are Yevon statues around the walls," Lulu said searching about the parameter.

"But what temple is this?" Yuna said trying to read the glyphs.

"Try touch'n the door, ya?" Wakka said. When I put my hand on the door the three glyphs lit up and the door split apart. Inside there were great wooden pillars and the usual carvings of Lady Yunalesca and Lord Zaon along the ceiling. Belgamine stood in the center of the chamber.

"Welcome Yuna."

"What is this place?" Yuna said stepping toward her.

"Remien Temple. Once a great religious center in the Calm Lands lost after the battle with Sin."

"And this is your home? What? You got something against company?" I teased.

"It's a long story. Easier perhaps to show you," she let pyerflies escape her body. It occurred to me that the unsent look a lot like Aeons when they've been destroyed, but I couldn't figure out why.

"You're dead too?" I said, Yuna readied her wand and stepped closer.

"Don't send me just yet. There is still one thing left for me to do here. With the help I can give, a young summoner might just be able to defeat Sin. Well, Yuna? I challenge you; if you cannot beat me, you'll never beat Sin."

"Alright," Yuna nodded.

"There we are, now, before we begin," Belgamine healed Yuna just like she always had. "Now, are you ready?"

Belgamine summoned Valefore, and Yuna immediately squashed him with Bahamut. Second she summoned Ifirit and Yuna picked Shiva, it was the exact opposite of their last battle. Ifirit barraged her with Meteor Strikes, but Shiva just kept casting Blizzaras to heal herself and blasted him with as much ice as she could manage in her diamond dust attacks. The third attack was super powerful, Shiva froze Ifirit solid and when she snapped her fingers his body shattered into a million pieces. Belgamine's third Aeon was Ixon. Shiva tried to fight him off but she burst into pyerflies after a heavy lightning attack. Yuna summoned Bahamut and cast Watergas until Belgamine's Ixon was felled. The fourth Aeon she summoned was Shiva. Yuna summoned Ifirit; Shiva pelted him with Blizzaras while he shot Meteor Blasts at her. It looked like it was over when Shiva hit overdrive but somehow Ifirit guarded himself and withstood it. Ifirit killed her with his last Meteor. Belgamine summoned Bahamut, it didn't look good. The king of the dragons is the strongest Aeon yet, except maybe for Anima. Bahamut nearly crushed Shiva with his physical attacks alone, but she healed quickly and set up a barrier before he let loose Mega Flare. When Bahamut was finally getting tired Shiva froze him and crushed his body with her bare hands.

"Well, you have improved, and I am glad for it. Acquire more Aeons and challenge me again."

"More Aeons? But we went to all the temples…" I didn't get the way this world worked.

"Not all the Temples are so easy to find," Auron said softly.

"I will," Yuna said with a bow.

"Good, until then," Belgamine healed Yuna's wounds once more and then disappeared. We went back outside the temple and found a sphere sitting next to a chocobo. It said something about a chocobo race but I didn't catch it all. I figured why not, and Yuna said it was okay.

"Don't waste too much time," Auron said with his usual frown. He was right we had already spent over a week wondering through the Calm Lands. I told him it wouldn't be long and I was right, to beat the champion chocobo quickly, all I had to do was run down a spiral and at the end of it I found a 'cloudy mirror'. It didn't seem to work but I brought it with me anyway.

"Ready?" Yuna said with a small smile, she had been cheering all through the race.

"Ready," I said and then helped her back onto her chocobo.

The chocobos took us back to the normal calm lands area, and we had to search for the last of the escaped monsters. We were dead tired by the time we'd found it, it nearly knocked Wakka out but Lulu burned the slimy thing to death. We hopped off the chocobos at the Al Bhed trading post and took a rest. The next morning we got back on the chocobos and rode for the Arena. The keeper was thrilled to have his monsters back.

"Good, you've found them all. Here, I've created a monster from all the data of the monsters from this area. Want to fight it?"

"Sure!" I thought it would be fun, Auron didn't agree.

"Wait!" But it was too late, he'd already set the beast out on us it was a Chimeraragest. It was insanely strong; all of Yuna's Aeons went down with one hit. I cast Haste on everyone and Yuna healed like crazy. Auron Wakka, Kimahri and I beat it as hard and fast as we could. It took nearly an hour of healing and regrouping but we finally killed it.

"Good! Keep bringing me monsters from around Spira. Oh and the calm lands is due south." The keeper told us.

Yuna said her thanks and we headed on. I could tell everyone was a little annoyed as we rode to the ends of the calm lands. There was a bridge over canyons that lead off into the mountains. We left the chocobos in the calm lands and were ambushed as we tried to cross the bridge.

"Halt!" Two guado minions shouted as they blocked our path. "Summons from Lord Seymour. Come with us!"

"We have nothing to discuss with Maester Seymour!" Yuna said defiantly.

"Yeah, so out of our way," I shouted pulling out my brother sword.

"Lord Seymour's commands must be obeyed. You will come," they shouted lifting their spears.

"I warn you, the Maester doesn't need you alive," the second soldier shouted, as if he could have taken us all. As he walked over to the edge of the cliff a gigantic robot barreled its way toward us. As it moved the ground and even the cliffs shook around us. We made short work of it, a few thunders and a thundaga, Kimahri, Auron and I finally got a break. As I ran off toward the slope to follow the guado soldiers Lulu stopped me.

"This isn't the way in?" I asked looking at her.

"That way leads into the valley," she said softly.

"Wow, you know your way around, ya?" Wakka said patting her on the back, she just continued on without a word. "Huh?"

I went down into the valley anyway; I wanted to see what was down there. We came to the bottom of the gorge and I found a rusty old sword. I have it too Auron and went back to join the group. Lulu stood in front of a low cave.

"Are we going in?" She asked nervously.

"Where are we?" Rikku asked in a little panic.

"The faith is inside, as are the fiends." Lulu said, her red eyes heavy as the stared into the blackness of the cave.

"Hey, this is where…" Wakka asked, Lulu nodded yes but said nothing more.

"Where what?" I asked, no one ever tells me anything.

"The summoner I guarded on my first pilgrimage… died here. Yuna lets go. The faith awaits." We walked around the first bend; the entire place was filled with pyerflies and tremendous fiends. Rikku was pretty jumpy.

"What's a faith doing in a place like this?" She asked clinging to my arm.

"Don't ask me," I said giving her hand a little pat.

"They say it was stolen from a temple long ago," Lulu started to explain; it didn't seem like a thing worth stealing.

"With no faith, summoners cannot train. Without training, that cannot call the Final Aeon, without the Final Aeon, they cannot defeat Sin. That is why." Auron said calmly.

"'Cause then the summoner won't die!" Rikku whispered.

"That must be what the thief was thinking," Wakka said scratching his head, I was surprised that Rikku hadn't seemed to warm up to him again since we had entered the Calm Lands, she really was on my side.

"I kinda agree with him," I said squeezing Rikku's hand gently.

"Mmhmm."

We continued on through the cold dark caves. We followed the cave to a large cavern in the back.

"Feh, another guado fiend?" Wakka said as he and Auron scouted ahead of us.

"No. An Unsent," Auron said. A woman in yellow appeared from the shadows.

"It is… It's you, is it not, Lady Ginnem? Forgive me, I was too young." Lulu said to her. Yuna raised her wand to send her bit before she got the chance the fiend woman knocked her back. "There is no human left in you now, is there? Very well then. Allow me to perform my last duty to you. My last as your guardian," Lulu stood behind Yuna and focused her energy. Ginnem summoned this giant Aeon dressed in a ceremonial hakuma. It didn't even flinch when we attacked it, and then send a big red dog to attack us. Kimahri was knocked back and Rikku dived out of the way.

"It's so cute, why does it have to attack us?" Rikku complained. Lulu turned to her with a glower.

"Remember what I've taught you," Rikku nodded and together they finished it off Thundaga and Firaga lighting up the caves. "Strange, I thought it would be sadder somehow. Maybe I've gotten used to farewells," Lulu said. She talked about it like she wasn't sad, but even as the light from their spells was swallowed into the darkness I could see her eyes shimmering.

"You're stronger now," Wakka said putting his arm around her.

"Wakka, I hope you're right… Yuna, the faith is inside. Go do what you came to do." She waited behind with Wakka while the rest of us continued to a teleport pad that took us to the chamber of the faith. It was completely different from the fayth chamber in Bevelle. Yuna prayed to the fayth, and the room grew dark. A deep resonant voice filled the chamber with the hymn of the faith and then he appeared before Yuna.

"I am the blade of vengeance. They dare only whisper my name 'Yojimbo'. Summoner, I ask what do you want of me?" The fayth asked, the way he spoke reminded me of Auron.

"To defeat the most powerful enemies," Yuna replied.

"If you desire my strength you must pay my price. Make your offer." His asking price was 250,000 Gil, we only offered him half. "Do we have a deal?" His price dropped to 225,000 but it wasn't much of an improvement. We added 1 Gil to our offer and eventually bartered him down to 205,000 Gil. I'm still wondering what a dead guy can do with all that money.

"Adequate… You are my client hence forth. My sword shall guard you on your journey summoner," Yojimbo bowed and then slipped into Yuna's subconscious. After Yuna was finished we left the cave and headed toward Mount Gagazet. She stopped on the bridge and looked into the gorge. Sometimes Yuna would just stare off into the distance. I finally understood why, she was saying goodbye to the places she'd never see again.


	10. Mount Gagazet

We went through a tunnel and arrived at the base of the mountain. It was freezing. The area was empty and we all took a look around until Biran jumped out of nowhere and Yenke followed with Maester Klek.

"Summoner Yuna and guardians, leave here at once!" Klek shouted. We were surrounded by Ronso. "Gagazet is Ronso land, sacred mountain of Yevon. The mountain will not bear the footsteps of infidels!"

"Enemy of Yevon is enemy of Ronso! Leave traitors!" Biran shouted.

"I have cast aside Yevon! I follow the temple no more!" Yuna shouted back at him.

"Then you will die by those words," Klek bellowed.

"So be it. Yevon has warped the teachings and betrayed us all!" Yuna continued, she stood tall as she spoke to him and we were all at her side.

"Nothing but a bunch of low-down tricksters, eh?" Wakka shouted.

"Yeah!"

"We have no regrets," Yuna said. I couldn't see her but I could tell that she was smiling at our support.

"Blasphemers!" Yenke shouted. He tried to rush us and attack Yuna but Kimahri stopped him dead in his tracks. He was so much shorter than them, but he still stood to protect us. I think Kimahri was the most dedicated of us all.

"A Summoner and her guardians…" Klek said still looking down on us.

"Lord Klek Ronso, if I may," Lulu said stepping forward. "Have you not also turned your back on Bevelle?"

"But still you guard Gagazet as a Ronso, not a Maester. Yuna is much the same," Auron added.

"Elder Klek let Biran rend them asunder!" Biran shouted as Yenke came to his side.

"No escape, not one!"

"No, we will not flee. We will fight and continue on," Yuna said firmly.

"You have been branded a traitor, but still you would fight Sin? Lost to the temple, hated by the people, yet you continue your pilgrimage? Everything lost! What do you fight for?" Klek asked, he looked more hopeless than any of us.

"I fight for Spira. The people long for the calm. I can give it to them. It's all I can give. Defeating Sin, ending pain… this I can do."

"Even sacrificing yourself? Ronso let them pass! Summoner Yuna, your will is stronger than steel. Tempered steel that even the mightiest Ronso could not hope to bend. Yuna, we bow to your will! Now Go! The sacred heights of Gagazet welcome you."

"We thank you," Yuna said with a bow.

"Ah! My necks hurtn'." Wakka complained as we looked up to the peak of mount Gagazet, I tried to ignore him.

"Zanarkand is on the other side, huh?" I said trying to look beyond the mountain.

"Yeah… your home, ya?" he asked standing uncomfortably close.

"As if you believed me…"

"Maybe I do. The one on the other side here's probably just a pile of rubble, ya? But somewhere out there is your Zanarkand. Some where ya? Yeah, you'll be home soon enough!" he said patting me on the back reassuringly.

"I… hope you're right."

"Yeah! Cheer up! Let's do this!" Wakka's words, they helped a lot. I wasn't worried about seeing their Zanarkand anymore. As we continued on Rikku and I hung back to talk.

"You think of anything yet?" she asked softly. I couldn't tell her that I had nothing.

"Biran and Yenke gone," Kimahri said with a frown.

"I wonder what they're up to. Eh! It's probably nothing."

"Biran is hero of Ronso. Yenke is powerful warrior."

"Great, I hope we don't have to fight them." I was starting to get tired of everyone trying to challenge us.

"Kimahri must fight! Kimahri must win!"

"It's as I thought," Auron said stopping in the road.

"What is?"

"Yevon is in turmoil. Mika tries to keep it whole, but it crumbles around him," he continued somberly.

"Look, I couldn't care less what happens to Yevon."

"Because you are not of this world, to those who truly believe in the teachings a time of much pain is coming."

"It's just a little farther now," Yuna said as we headed up toward the mountain trail, I wasn't sure weather she was talking about getting to Zanarkand or to the time of pain.

At the top of the small slope Biran jumped out in front of us.

"Halt!"

"Uhg! Haven't you bothered us enough?"

"Summoner may pass, guardians may pass. Kimahri not pass! Kimahri shame Ronso brothers. Kimahri forgotten his birth," Yenke said standing right in front of Kimahri.

"Forget his people, forget his mountain. Little Ronso! Weakling Ronso! Mountain hate the weak, hate the small, if you will climb," Kimahri cut Biran off.

"Then I must prove my strength!"

"Think you will win? You not forget who took your horn, never forget!" Biran yelled at his side.

"Kimahri never beat brother Biran! Never win!" Yenke goaded.

"This time I win. I will win!" I moved to help him but Kimahri knocked me back.

"This some kind of Ronso thing?" I asked, I know I was frowning at him.

"Kimahri problem."

"Biran rend you asunder," It was like that's all he could say.

"Hornless, hornless," Yenke goaded. Kimahri lunged forward and had knocked them senseless with only a few strokes of his spear. "You win," Yenke panted. I personally thought that Kimahri should have given them a little bit more of a beating.

"Strong is Kimahri. Biran is happy. Sacred Mount Gagazet! I honor the name of strong warrior who defeats Biran. Remember always, Gagazet! That name is Kimahri."

"Mountain knows Kimahri strong, Kimahri may pass," Yenke added.

"Summoner! We Ronso will stop pursuers from temple," Biran said with a grin.

"Truly?" Yuna smiled.

"Penance for breaking Kimahri's horn long ago."

"We crush enemies following behind, Kimahri crush enemies standing before. You are most fortunate summoner." Yenke said with a more frightening grin than Biran's.

"I thank you," Yuna said with a little bow.

"Ronso will shine your statue brightest."

"Thank you, But I fear that no one will make a statue for a traitor such as I am."

"Then Ronso will make! With grand horn on head." Biran and Yenke both nodded proudly at the idea. I wanted to see Yuna's statue too. But I wanted to see it… with Yuna by my side.

When we reached the top of the Ronso's village Biran stopped us again.

"Summoner Yuna!"

"What is it this time?" I was getting ready to reach for my sword. All of the Ronso stood before Yuna and began to sing. That damn song… I was starting to hate it.

"ie yui nobou me no reen midi yojyu yo go. Asate kara e kuta maa e."

All of the elders joined in their song, it was beautiful and sad.

After that Kimahri seemed prouder than I'd ever seen him and Yuna was doing her best to appear strong. I was wondering how long it would be before she broke. We climbed up for a long time, through the icy paths up to the side of the mountain. We were all tires, especially Yuna, the more she put up a strong brave front, the more tired she got.

"Sir Auron… can we rest soon?" Yuna said softly.

"Yes, if you need it." Ever since Makalenia whenever Yuna said she was tired Auron would give me a look up from his sun glasses. It was a constant reminder that Yuna and I had been together. That and—

"Tidus… when we find a place to stay, can we… talk?" Talk, great, as long as that's all we're doing.

"Sure," I said. Wakka, who had disappeared behind a corner, came back.

"Shelter over here, ya?"

"Alright! I'm freezing! It was never this cold at home, you know?" Rikku said running up past me and around the corner. We got under the edge of the mountain and set up tents, everything was set up close together; the only people who weren't shivering were Kimahri and Auron. We were camped near a crack in the mountain; it was large enough for a person to fit through. Rikku noticed it right away.

"I can feel warm air! I'm gonna go look around, maybe I'll find some place warmer, you know?"

"Okay, but don't be gone too long."

"Roger!" She said with a big grin.

I looked over at Wakka and Lulu huddled close together and u felt a twinge of jealousy. But then, things had been less complicated with Wakka lately. Maybe we were better off this way. I couldn't help but smile when I thought about what Wakka said about Yevon, 'low down tricksters' I couldn't help but smile.

"Tidus," Yuna said, catching me off guard.

"Oh, yeah what is it? There was something you wanted to talk about Yuna?"

"Yes, come here." She grabbed my hand and pulled me off to the side, as far away from the group as possible without reaching the edge of the shelter.

"So what is it you wanted to talk about?"

"Well…" she started blushing, it wasn't a good sign. She sat down with me against the mountain and snuggled up into my side. She looked up at me with those big blue and green eyes, and I didn't know what I was supposed to think. "I'm glad, that you're here with me." She sighed and relaxed against me, it only made me tense up more.

"Thanks…"

"I just, I wish I had more time with everyone. With you." I wrapped my arm around her.

"It's okay, we'll figure something out. I promised I wouldn't let you die, and it's a promise I plan on keeping."

"Thank you." She says so many thank you's and pleases it kind of made me wonder what it's all worth.

"Um…"

"Tidus."

"Yeah?"

"Can we… can I kiss you… I mean, you wouldn't mind, would you?" she sounded so hopeful, how could I say no to that? I kissed her gently, she wrapped her arms around me and kept the kiss going… for a long time. I could feel everyone's eyes on us, but it really didn't matter anymore, did it? We got warm together, after awhile, and she still didn't pull away. I was pinned between her and a mountain. I felt Gagazet watching me too.

"Oi…" Thank god Wakka interrupted us. I didn't need Yuna getting anymore emotionally invested in me. "You two… uh know where Rikku went? I haven't seen her for awhile, ya?" He seemed really nervous, he was blushing and everything. I wonder what he was so embarrassed about.

"I'll go look for her!" I got up and ran for the crack in the mountain. It was warm inside, I followed the current of air and it got hotter and hotter. It felt like a locker room at halftime. "Rikku! Rikku!" It was humid as hell. I stripped off the top of my uniform, and dropped it on the floor. I heard the sound of rushing water and moved toward it. "Rikku!" I still didn't get a response. I followed the sound of the water until I hit a big hot spring. No wonder it's so hot in here. I saw the pile of clothing by the edge, little black shoes, long white socks, short green shorts, a pink top and a pair of goggles all sat next to her Devastator claws and arm guard. "Rikku!!" the moving stopped.

"Tidy?"

"Rikku, what are you doing here?"

"Bathing, it's wonderful, ya know? Wanna join me?"

"Yeah!" I noticed a bright yellow bra and a pair of panties. "But maybe it's not the best idea."

"Relax Tidy! Get your Blitz'n butt in here already!" I shrugged, it could be fun. I stripped completely and jumped into the water. It was wonderful, especially after the cold of the snow. "See, isn't that better?"

"Yeah, it is nice," I said with a grin. She swam around me in circles, each time the light hit her slender frame she looked beautiful, my whole body awakened at the sight of her. I just stood there, hoping she wouldn't notice my gigantic boner.

"Tidy! What's the matter?" she stopped swimming and stood in front of me. The water was up to my chest, but on Rikku, even her chin was under water. She had to tread water just to stay in one place and speak to me.

"I… nothings wrong?"

"Yes there us! I can tell, you're pouting, you know?"

"Well… I don't know… everything is 'normal' with Wakka… which is good, and kind of sad." I started waving my arms back and forth in the water, staring down at it instead of her face so that I didn't get anymore embarrassed.

"And…"

"And Yuna…"

"Oh," she shifted back to floating on her back in front of me, leaving her slender little legs, pink round little breasts and a small patch of golden hair between her legs in plain sight. It was all I could do not to stare.

"She keeps…"

"Loving you?"

"Well yeah. I mean, I knew she loved me… but it's hard to be her strength when she always tries to play this hard as a rock thing, you know?" I paused; I realized that Rikku was rubbing off on me. She just giggled and paddled out a little, allowing me a nice view of the pink spread between her legs. I really hoped she wouldn't look under water. "But… she's all clingy, like I'm the only thing in the world that will make her happy. It's really… draining."

"I know what you mean, Yunnie's really great, but she's kind of a fun sucker, you know?"

"Not like you and Wakka…"

"Why thank you! And it's good to know that I'm right up there with the love of your life," she said sticking her tongue out at me and then diving under water for protection. I swam over and pulled her head out of the water as gently as I could.

"He's not—"

"Wow Tidy! That's quite a long-sword you've got there," she said with a giggle. "I was scared you would poke my eye out!" more giggling.

"Are you done now?" I was mortified.

"Not by a long shot!"

"Come on Rikku, you don't have to tease me."

"But it's fun! And besides, it's not like there's anything here that should have you that excited, you know?" I wanted to drop my head in the water and drown.

"Sure that is," I offered trying to tease her back though my embarrassment.

"Awe, you flatter me Tidy. If I didn't know any better I'd say you want me." I just smiled at her and shook my head. "Do you really?" Not at all the question I was expecting.

"I don't know… maybe… you wouldn't act all weird like Yuna or Wakka?"

"Not to worry Tidy, I'm not a repressed homosexual or an overly lonely and enthusiastic clingy girl."

"…you are enthusiastic…"

"What else am I?" Her questions threw me for a loop, somehow I was expecting her to be more innocent, but then, that's probably what Wakka thought of me too.

"You're really cute, I know that."

"Cute enough to give you a big stiffy?"

"I think you already know the answer to that." She giggled so much, it was heart warming. The cavern just filled with laughter, mixed with the heat, it was almost heaven, almost.

"Tidy," she said softly.

"Yeah?"

"Come here." I swam up closer to Rikku and scooped her into my arms, I had the uncontroalable urge to hold someone warm and loving, someone who made me feel like everything would be alright in the end, instead of someone who was constantly preparing for death. Rikku and Wakka were the only ones who made me feel like that, and Wakka was out of the picture. Way out. "Oh, Tidy," I could feel her snuggle into me, her soft breasts sending shivers down my spine as her nipples rubbed warm little circles against my chest. She wrapped her arms around me, her soft, flat stomach grazing up against my shaft.

"Ah! Rikku…" I was already tensing up, it felt so nice to be close to someone with out that heavy obligation to do it. I didn't have to be with Rikku I wanted to be with her.

She wrapped her legs around my waist and started kissing me furiously.

"Mmm Tidy," she slid her body up and down against me surprising and enticing me and then she pulled away. Rikku paddled back toward the edge of the spring, I nearly tackled her when I caught her.

"No fair!" I held on tight to her, my arms rested over her breasts as I rubbed my length against her butt, I could feel her shiver in my arms. I grabbed one of her pink little nipples and rubbed it mercilessly while I rubbed a calloused finger over her clit, still brushing myself against her butt, the way she moaned was irresistible. "No fair getting me all horny and then running away!"

"Ooh! Tidy! I want you in me so bad!" she moaned, I brushed my head against her opening, "ooh come on Tidy! No fair! You're driving me crazy, you know? Just fuck me already!"

"Nah, I don't think you want me bad enough," I said squeezing her breast and rubbing against her clit more roughly.

"Oooh No fair!" she wriggled out of my arms and swam back to the edge, climbing out and riffling through her clothing.

"Hey, wait!" I got out of the water as fast as I could to stop her. "You can't just leave!"

"Relax Tidy," she said giving me a kiss on the cheek as she picked up her pouch and removed a rather shiny blue vibrator. "I just wanted to get this, you know?" I looked at it for a long moment, almost forgetting how badly I'd wanted her. I had never seen anything like that in Spira before. Fun sex was probably against Yevon's teachings. She plopped back down near the edge of the water and a rock wall, spreading her legs apart. She rubbed between her legs, spreading slickness all over her soft pink and then picked up her toy and rubbed it along that slickness before slipping it in her behind.

"Whoa!" I would've been afraid to take something that large, it was almost as big as Wakka. Rikku flipped it off and turned beet red, the hum of the 'Machina' and the trembles of her body working in time. I licked my lips, my hand instinctively drifting down to stroke myself.

"Fuck me Tidy! I want you so bad, I feel like I'm gonna burn up, you know?" I didn't need another invitation. I scooped her legs into my arms, holding them under her knees. I leaned over and rammed into her, over and over. She was so slick, and hot inside, I could feel her body clenching around me and the vibrations of her toy against my balls, it was too much for me to take. I just kept thrusting faster and faster, I couldn't help it and Rikku certainly wasn't complaining, she was screaming my name with every thrust. Her body was flushed and glowing, she had her hands pressed against the wall for support.

"Tidy! Tidy! TIDY!" She screamed pushing back against my rough thrusts, I could feel her muscles clamp down on me and that was it. I exploded inside her, thrusting harder with every wave of pleasure, she squealed at the force of it, I came so hard it was spilling out of her. I had never needed release that badly before.

"OH Rikku!" I had to take a minute to catch my breath, then I slipped out of her, feeling our slick juices till hot along my shaft. I turned off her toy for her and tossed it to the side. We just lie there quietly, panting heavily and trying to catch our breaths.

"Wow that was amazing Tidy, I've never been fucked like that before, you know?" She panted with a big glowing smile. I nodded at the compliment, wrapping my arms around her.

"Thanks," I said nuzzling my nose into her neck, she smelled so good; I almost wanted to have her again.

"I mean… Wow now I know why everybody can't get enough of you. You're amazing, you know?" I kissed her neck tenderly and she snuggled into my arms like a tired little kitten. She yawned and then started humming.

"Are you, I mean… you don't regret…?"

"Of coarse not Tidy. That's the best I've ever had. And if you do stay in Spira, you could always be with me, you know?"

"I know," I leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. I could tell she had been avoiding it earlier, but it felt like the right thing to do. No, not just the right thing, I wanted to kiss her breathless.

"Mmm, I'm glad we found you in those ruins, you know?"

"Me too," I said before snuggling my nose back against her neck. We enjoyed just holding one another for a while longer, and then we got up and washed ourselves off in the spring water.

"I hope Kimahri doesn't find out what we did in 'sacred Mount Gagazet' he'd go crazy, you know?" she giggled a little. I brought over our clothes and we both got dressed.

"Really Rikku, thank you. You're always there for me when I need it. I'm really glad." I gave her another kiss; this one was long and blissful.

"No problem Tidy, what are friends for?" 'Not that' I thought. But I gave her one last long kiss and we started wandering our way back toward the crack.

As the air in the cave felt cooler and cooler, what Rikku and I had shared felt more like a dream. I just couldn't believe that so many people would love and want me; I guess maybe Wakka was right. I am a big heart breaker.

"I found her!" I shouted as we spotted the crack.

"Good, now hurry up and get out here! Everyone has been worried sick about you two, ya?" Wakka called back to us, he sounded a little stressed, or something. Rikku skipped her way into the cold, giggling all the way.

"Wakkie! I found a hot spring, it was wonderful!"

"Das nice, ya? Glad to hear you're enjoying yourself," when I caught a glimpse of Wakka's face, he didn't look as happy as he sounded.

"I'm going to go talk to Yunnie, okay?" she said with a big bright smile waving back at us. I was about to follow her, but Wakka grabbed a hold of my arm; he pulled me back and tossed me up against the rock face. Oddly enough Kimahri, Lulu, Auron and Yuna were far out of ear shot, along with Rikku now.

"W-what's up Wakka?" I said with a grin. He scowled at me so deeply I don't think I'd ever seen him so angry.

"You don't think about anybody else's feelings, ya?" I tried to step forward but he shoved me back.

"What are you—?"

"You'd just sleep with everybody, ya? Don even care about how dey feel, just do what you wand and then move on to the next one, ya?" He was so angry; I thought he was going to beat me.

"But—"

"You're just lucky I told everyone I'd stand guard for you. I could hear you from here, ya? What if Yuna heard you banging her cousin, she would be heart broken, ya?"

"… Could you… hear everything we said?"

"No, but da moaning spoke for itself. You just wanna have everything, ya? You don care about no one!"

"I cared about you," I said softly. I almost hoped he couldn't hear me, something passed over his face, but the expression was gone before I could pinpoint what it was. He was angrier than ever.

"Too bad for you, ya? I'm wit Lulu, and I'm not some slut sleepin' wit everyone like you." He wavered for a second; he could see the hot salty tears running down my cheeks. I tried to stop them, but I couldn't. This was Wakka and he… I could tell he hated me. He almost looked like he wanted to comfort me, but I probably imagined it.

"Well…" I sniffed back my tears as best I could. "I'm glad you're happy," and I meant it, but it just hurt so badly, I couldn't help being angry. "But I…"

"What?" His voice was so cold, colder than the ice on Gagazet, at first I didn't want to hurt him, but… after that it didn't matter. We weren't friends and he was judging me everything I did.

"I wish I had never washed up on Besaid! You're the worst thing that has ever happened to me!" I screamed my eyes were so clouded with tears that I didn't even see his fist coming. He hit me in the jaw, knocking me back hard against the jagged wall. I rushed forward and rammed him head first, hitting him square in the chest. I heard him groan as I hit him, I knocked him back into the snow. He jumped up and dived into me hitting me with a venom tackle, I was thrown back so hard, my head made a sickening crack against the wall. Everything went black; it was like the lights were out in my head.

"Enough!" I heard Auron bellow.

"Sir Auron, I—"

"You don't want to move!" from the sound of Auron's voice, I knew he didn't. "You think you can get away with attacking a fellow guardian?"

"No—but—" Wakka fumbled, we both knew there was nothing that he would explain.

"Wakka! What has gotten into you?" Lulu scolded.

"I'm sorry Tidus," he didn't sound sincere. "Tidus?"

"What?" I could hear Lulu gasping.

"Tidus are you alright?" I could feel something hot trickling down my neck and I knew then what she was so worried about.

"Yuna! Come quickly," Auron shouted. I could hear her footsteps as she rushed over.

"Sir Auron, what's—oh no! Tidus, what happened?" I felt ashamed; I didn't know what to tell her. 'I had sex with Rikku so he beat me up? Oh and by the way I fooled around with Wakka too and now he hates me?' If I told her that, she would hate me too.

"We just had an argument…" I finally said.

"All that blood over an argument?" Lulu said I could hear her frowning in her voice.

"Ya… I don know what I was thinking" Wakka added.

"I-I don't know how to heal this…" Yuna said in a whisper.

"What?" there was panic in Wakka's voice.

"It's not bleeding anymore, but…"

"I can't see," I finished Yuna's sentence.

"Well, it looks like it'll be your responsibility to look after him until his sight returns."

"Yes Sir Auron."

"Honestly Wakka, how could you do such a thing?" Lulu sounded really upset. I took pity in him, I guess.

"It's okay Lulu, it was my fault he lost his temper, I started it. The cold was getting to me, you know? I started talking to him about Zanarkand and… he got upset." I was sure that with the mention of Zanarkand everyone would ease up on him a bit, it sounded like I was right. I could feel Yuna giving me soft kisses on the cheek and I couldn't stop thinking about my 'dream' with Rikku.

"Will you be alright?" Yuna asked tenderly.

"I'm fine, really. Don't worry about me, okay?"

"Wakka, you big Meany! How could you—" I cut Rikku off before she could finish.

"Just drop it okay?" I could feel the air tense around me, but Rikku knew I would tell her everything anyway.

"Okay, I didn't mean to be any trouble, you know?"

"It's okay, ya?" I heard Wakka say, but I knew that it wasn't. Wakka wasn't really a violent man, 'he must really hate me,' I thought. I could hear everyone walking away. A strong hand gripped my shoulder.

"Lemme help you up, ya?"

"No thanks, I'm fine," I made an attempt to stand up, and teetered after getting halfway up, falling back into the powdery snow.

"Please, lemme help you, it's the least I can do, ya? I really am sorry." He lifted me up, even as I yelled at him not to. He carried me into the tent and stayed there. I could barely sleep knowing he was there made me feel awkward. I awoke in the night wrapped in those warn arms, or maybe I just dreamt it. In the morning he awoke me bright and early, and held my hand as we climbed up the mountain. It was ridicules, he was treating me like a child, and he guided me for days without saying a word, only the chill of the mountain and the warmth of his hand kept me company.


	11. To Zanarkand

We stopped for a moment, the chill of the mountain air cutting through my uniform. It had been two days and I still had to be lead around by Wakka. We didn't say anything, I was sure that he was still mad at me.

"These mark the graves of summoners and guardians who failed," Lulu said softy, everyone was quiet. We continued on, walking up the mountain for what felt like forever, until we stopped under something. I heard Auron turn on a sphere message.

"Hello Yuna, I hope you are well. I wonder how old you are, now that you're watching his sphere. You must be very beautiful, like your mother. I wish I could see you… Oh. By the way Jecht and Auron send their regards. So far our journey has been very entertaining. Of coarse it is a hard journey, but I have no regrets, it is the path I have chosen. Yuna, when you have grown you will have to find your own path. Do what you must do, the way you want to do it. Doors will always open themselves to those who do. Listen close Yuna, your future is yours to make. Live the way you want to. Whatever way that may be, you have your father's full support. Yuna, I will always be with you." Everyone was quiet for a few moments, I could tell from the way he spoke that he spoke it was Yuna's father.

"Oh my!" Yuna sounded like it was hard to take.

"We press on!" Auron said callously, I wondered many times how he could just ignore things like spheres of his dead friends, but then I didn't know the way that his heart broke at loosing them. We kept walking; I stumbled so many times Wakka just picked me up in his arms.

"Hey! Put me down!" Said flailing against him. He smelled so good… but it was still painful to be around him. As much as I protested he didn't listen and just carried me on.

"Summoners that die up here… aren't sent to the farplane…" Lulu said softly.

"Why not?" Wakka flinched as I asked the question.

"Who would send them? They die alone."

"So that means…"

"Many have become feinds, and the may want Yuna's company," Lulu finished softly.

"Well, Yuna will be fine."

"You're right," she said with a soft smile.

We walked on and on but nothing seemed to happen. A few feinds here and there and Oaka's brother Wantz but aside from that the journey was pretty slow. We stopped high up on the mountain where the air was getting thin.

"Bring Tidus here!" Kimahri growled. "Water run from dark cavern, heal Tidus eyes." Wakka held me under the trickle of water, my face felt hot and as I blinked I could see him again.

"You can see me?" Wakka asked softly.

"Yeah" he seemed so happy, he was about to hug me… but then he backed off.

"Let's go, something's around the bend," we ran around the bend, my legs were shaky from lack of use. We hit a big plateau and Rikku hung back to talk to me. We stopped on the summit, looking over the great mountains edge and only was darkness lying ahead.

"Zanarkand is on the other side, you know?"

"I know…"

"Yunnie is going to get the final Aeon, you know?"

"I know."

"I…uh…I still haven't thought of anything," Rikku looked down at the snow shyly, it's like she was saying 'there's nothing we can do' without any words.

"Me neither."

"What are we gonna do?"

"We'll do something! We just don't know enough yet. Until we do, we really can't help Yuna. Let's go to Zanarkand. We'll find something there. It'll all come together, I know it!" even while I said the words I didn't quite believe it.

"Heeey… Just now, you sounded like a leader, ya know?" her winning smile had already returned.

"Star of the Zanarkand Abes! Didn't anyone tell you?" I teased.

"Aha!" She said with a bow, a giggle ready on her lips. I started towards the cavern, but stopped when I heard her yell behind me. When I turned around I saw him, that damn Guado Maester in his thick ceremonial robes.

"Ah, the son of Jecht," Seymour said with that disgustingly calm face.

"Rikku, run ahead and tell Auron!"

"You are not fighting him alone!" she yelled back.

"Just go! Go!"

Rikku ran as fast as she could and Seymour just smirked. No matter what, it seemed as if he couldn't die. We'd already 'killed' him twice, each time barley escaping with our lives. It was… unnerving, standing alone with that walking corpse.

"Now is your time to die. Prepare yourself son of Jecht." He walked towards me with a sickening calm.

"Not if I can help it!"

"Save some for Kimahri!" Kimahri yelled leading everyone hurriedly towards me.

"Lady Yuna, it is a _pleasure_."

"Yuna!" Lulu shouted as Yuna moved towards him. She lifted her wand to send him, but stopped for reasons I still don't understand.

"A sending so soon? Allow me to say something to the last Ronso before I leave," he sneered, his cold laughter echoing along the mountain side. "Yours was… truly a gallant race, they threw themselves at me to bar my path. One after another…" He started chuckling again. I just wanted to bash his head in; Seymour had caused everyone enough trouble already.

"No…" Kimahri growled.

"You could end the suffering of this poor Ronso," Seymour said with a cruel smile.

"I don't under stand you!" Yuna cried, her eyes were shimmering. Seymour turned toward the edge of the plateau and looked off for a minute, his voice rose in a calm menacing tone.

"Allow Kimahri to die, and release him from his pain. Spira… is a land of suffering and sorrow caught in a spiral of death. To destroy—to heal Spira I will become Sin. Yes, with your help." Yuna looked like she was going to be sick this, he and Yevon where all she'd fought for, and he was asking her to help him destroy everything. "Come with me Yuna. You are my wife, are you not?" I stood between Yuna and Seymour, my blade already drawn. I couldn't take listening to his madness anymore. "Once I have become the next Sin, your father will be freed again."

"Grrr! What do you know?" I changed toward him and a monstrous creature rose behind him, fusing with his body.

"Your hope ends here, and your meaningless existence with it."

I cast haste on everyone as quickly as possible; Seymour wouldn't keep his big mouth shut. "Do you not want to heal Spira of its sorrow, let death end all its pain?"

"You cannot run from your fate!" Yuna shouted at him.

"You have angered Kimahri! The spirits of the Ronso will strengthen his spear!" Kimahri shot his spear at Seymour's Mortibody, Lulu cast Bio and Wakka, Auron and I wailed on him as quickly as we could. He cast rounds and rounds of Flares and hacked at us with his swords, dismissing Yuna's Aeons as soon as they were summoned, and finally right when I was about to give up hope Wakka felled him with one last shot venom shot. Seymour disappeared into a cloud of black smoke that blew away with the wind.

"And stay up there!" I shouted throwing down my sword for a moment. Everyone walked away slowly toward the dark cavern, it took me a moment, my legs were still weak and I was exhausted, but after I caught my breath I followed them inside, Yuna stopped at the opening.

"He will become sin… with my help?" Yuna said softly.

"Lies, forget them." Auron said softly.

"If he becomes Sin, sir Jecht will be saved…" Yuna continued.

"We're leaving," Auron said turning without another word.

"You know something! Tell me," Yuna ran to my side. "Tell me!"

"… Sin's… my old man."

"You hit your head?" Wakka asked patting my shoulder.

"No, that was you," Rikku murmured softly.

"Sin is my old man. My old man became Sin! I don't know how or why he did it. I felt him, inside. And when I did, I knew it was true. My old man is Spira's suffering. Sorry."

"Even… knowing that sin is your father… Still, you know I must…" Yuna said softly.

"I know, lets get him. I think my old man would want that."

"You would fight your own father?" Lulu said with wide eyes. Yeah, no problem there, I thought. Orphans never get it.

"Uh… 'Bout your old man… you sure this aint some kinda bad toxin dream or something? Then… Chappu… I uh…. I think I'll just pretend I didn't hear nothing. I'm getting a little confused, ya? Why… Why'd all this have to happen?"

"We'll learn when we arrive," Auron said softly, like he didn't already know. We passed through a row of columns and followed a blue light.

"Wow," Rikku muttered as we walked in. I looked at the walls, and they were people. Faith to be exact, their bodies perfectly preserved in stone and pooled in this mystical blue light. The light hot up into the sky. I felt tingly all over, all the weariness that I'd felt, the pain in my leg all washed away in the blue light.

"Wh-what are those?" Wakka's mouth hung wide open.

"Those are fayth," Yuna said calmly.

"Whoa!"

"Oh! A summoning," Yuna said covering her mouth. "Someone is using these fayth! Some one is drawing energy from all of them!"

"This many?"

"Who wields power on this scale, and what could they be calling?" Lulu said nervously. Rikku ran up to Auron and squinted.

"Hey, you know something, don't you? Spill the beans!" she said with her hands on her hips.

"Look not to others for knowledge," He said with a smirk. "This is your journey to?"

"Yunnie might die, you know?" She definitely wasn't smiling.

"No, Auron's right," I said.

"Huh?"

"This is our… this is my story." When I touched the fayth my limbs felt heavy. A white light covered everything and I didn't know where I was. The sound of pyerflies screamed in my ears, I saw myself on a deck, pyerflies pouring out of me like a dismissed Aeon, I was in Zanarkand but it was empty, my pyerflies didn't go far. I could stand.

"Eh?" Everything was there, the stadium, my home… everything. I shook off whatever was making me so weary and took a look around. I went home, but it felt so empty… it was eerie. The entire city was lit over the dead calm sea. I went inside; it was just as I'd left it. Big coffee table in the middle, low cushions around it. The floor lit with soft blue lights, and there was a bar behind the living room, I was home. Really home, but this wasn't where I wanted to be. The fan was still turning slowly… I could see that small boy curled up in the corner, Bahamut's fayth.

"Welcome home," his voice rang like an echo, pyerflies surrounding him like moths to a flame.

"You…"

"Remember me? We met in Bevelle."

"Yeah…"

"But it wasn't the first time we met. I've known that about you for a long time. A long, long time."

"I… I feel like I know you too. Where are we?"

"Silly, don't recognize your own home?" he disappeared. Wakka popped up behind me, like a spirit from the farplane.

"Hey, what's gotten into you?" And then Rikku took his place.

"Wake up! Wake up!"

"Wait, this is a dream?" The fayth ran back to my side.

"Precisely," he said with a smile.

"A dream? Are you crazy? I don't have time to be dreaming now!"

"You're wrong. It's not that you're dreaming, you are a dream."

"Huh? Wait a sec." But he didn't he just ran outside. Why were the fayth bothering with me? I didn't want to know… but I had to. I found him up on our deck; he was looking over the Zanarkand skyline.

"Long ago, there was a war."

"Yeah, with Machina, right?"

"Yes, a war between Zanarkand and Bevelle. Bevelle's Machina assured their victory from the start. Spira had never seen such a power. The summoners of Zanarkand didn't stand a chance. Zanarkand was doomed to oblivion. That's why we tried to save it—if only in a memory."

"What did you do?" I sat down before him, to hear the rest rest of his story.

"The remaining Summoners and the townspeople that survived the war… they all became fayth—fayth for the summoning."

"The summoning… you mean sin?"

"No, I mean this place. A Zanarkand that never sleeps."

"What?"

"The dreams of the fayth summoned the memories of the city. They summoned all the buildings, all the people who lived there."

"The people… What, they're all dreams?" I stood up… I didn't want to believe him. "Me too?" He nodded yes, and then ran past me, I followed.

"Yes, you're a dream of the fayth. You, your father, your mother, everyone. All dreams. And if the fayth stop dreaming…" bits and pieces of Zanarkand started to disappear right before my eyes. It turned into wreckage, the dead city of Zanarkand, Spira's Zanarkand.

"No! So what if I'm a dream! I…I like being here."

"We've been dreaming so long… we're tired. Would you and your father… would you let us rest? Both you and your father have been touched by Sin. Sin, the one whom all Spira—the Spiral—revolves." He disappeared again.

"What are you saying?" I ran down to find him, he appeared by the dock.

"You two are more than just dreams now," Yuna popped up behind me and I was terrified. This was all too much.

"Wake up! Wake up, please!" and then she disappeared.

"Just a little more and maybe… maybe you are the dream that will end our dreaming at last." The blinding white light came over me again, and my Zanarkand was gone. I could feel the cold hard ground beneath me, when I opened my eyes; Yuna, Rikku and Wakka were crowded around me. I jumped up. Seeing the fayth, the townspeople of Zanarkand it made me sad, to know that I was just a memory; they had to suffer to keep alive.

"Are you all right?" Yuna said with the brightest eyes.

"Hey! We were so worried about you!" Rikku shouted, bouncing up and down.

"You Okay?" Lulu asked softly.

"I…I'm okay."

"What happened?" Yuna asked taking my hand.

"Nothing… I blacked out. I was dreaming, you called me… and I woke up." Like an Aeon, I thought. I stretched my arms and put on a smile. "Nothing like a good nap! Well, I'm ready, let's go. We ran across the ridge, the entire mountain side was filled with fayth, it was despicable. All these people gave their lives for a memory.

We finally found the smaller mouth of the cavern. It was a relief to be away from the fayth. We came to a big pond filled with sphere gems.

"Looks like we got a job to do, ya?" Wakka said smiling at me.

"If anything should happen in the water we're relying on you three." Lulu said patting Wakka on the shoulder, "If it gets dangerous, pull out quick."

"Right!"

"Be careful, okay?" Yuna said leaning over and kissing me on the cheek.

"Okay," I nodded. We jumped into the water and swam through to a cavern and as soon as the rest of our party was out of sight we were ambushed by piranha and achelous. I was surprised by how strong Rikku's black magic had become, she zapped them to pieces without even breaking a sweat.

"Whoa! Teach me some a dat!" Wakka said with a big grin, Rikku smiled back at him.

"Maybe later, we've got a job to do, you know?" She swam ahead of us without another word.

"You sure you alright?" Wakka asked, turning to me for a moment. "You took a hard spill, ya?" I couldn't tell weather he was talking about when he'd knocked me over or when I'd fallen and I didn't want to talk to him about either.

"I'm fine Wakka, let's just go already."

We followed Rikku to an old set of steps. There was a magical barrier spinning around a Gagazet sphere.

"This is the first trial of Gagazet, I'll get this." Wakka picked up his ball and hurled it at the center, it turned red and then the motion stopped. "Alright! On to the next one, ya?"

"Good shot, you should be a blitz ball player, you know?" Rikku said sticking her tongue out at him as we headed to the next trial. I could tell Rikku wanted to talk to Wakka, about everything, but she held back for a while at least. We made it back to everyone else fairly quickly.

"This way!" Auron said as he lead us back to where there'd been a break in the path, it was filled with what looked like a large Gagazet sphere. We found a second water cavern, similar to the first. Rikku, Wakka and I swam into the depths leaving everyone behind again.

"Wakka?" Rikku asked as she swam alongside him.

"Yeah?" he said, I cut between them before she could get in another word, I knew my Rikku and I didn't want anymore trouble no matter how well she meant.

"Um… I don't really think this is the right time." It didn't seem like I would be around much longer, I just wanted things to go as smoothly as possible. I finally knew how Yuna felt every day.

"Why did you beat up Tidus?" I swam ahead a bit; I didn't want to be between them if they were gonna start talking about _that_.

"You know why, ya?" Wakka said scratching his head awkwardly.

"Please explain, I don't think I get it." She said with the most serious face that I had ever seen on her.

"I…uh… heard you… okay?" He said blushing a bit.

"Oh!" I had never seen Rikku turned so red, not even in the most heated passion. She obviously hadn't been expecting that. "So you were jealous?"

"No!" Wakka shouted, his face now matching her color. "I just thought—how could you joke about something like dat? Don'choo care? He's playing you, Yuna too. It's disgusting, ya?" I couldn't help but wince, my stomach tightened up at his words. I guess I still cared, a little bit.

"No!" Rikku said shaking her head. "I love Tidy, he's my best friend!"

"Thanks," I said softly, I hadn't even considered the word love, but she was my best friend too.

"Hehee no problem Cap'n" she said with a teasing salute.

"But—you… ya know?" Wakka looked like he was getting a headache.

"Yeah, we both needed a little release, ya know? You and Yuna had him all tied up in knots. Besides, I kind of talked him into it." Wakka just stared at her for a moment and then looked back at me. The secret was out. "At least I wasn't as bad as Yuna, she practically—-"

"Rikku! It's… we have a job to do." I cut in; he had already heard enough of my business.

"Yuna what?" Wakka asked looking at me with pleading eyes. Pleading for what I couldn't imagine, but I wasn't going to let anyone hurt Yuna, least of all me.

"It's nothing," I sped up ahead of them.

"Oh… Okay," he looked disappointed.

We swam on until we found three glowing sphere stones, blue, red and green.

"This second trial is easy, ya? All we need to do is hit all three stones at the same time." As we pressed the stones a white light filled the cavern, then we met back up with everyone.

"There's a stairway now, to the other side. But first check out what's on the southern path.," Auron ordered.

"All Righty!" Rikku said skipping off toward the southern path, Wakka and I had to run to catch up to her. We both hopped in the water and followed her to the very back of the 3rd cavern, it was a short swim. There sat two treasure chests.

"Yeah! Treasure!" she said with a little twirl.

"Oh boy," I said with a sigh, I didn't really mean it.

"So… you two are really okay?" Wakka asked looking at the ground.

"Yuppers and Tidy was the best I've ever had!" Rikku said slapping me on the butt, both Wakka and I blushed.

"What about Yuna?"

"I… lets leave Yuna out of this, please?" I said with a little frown. Wakka looked at me for a moment and then back at the ground.

"Well alright, so long as nobody's gettn' hurt, ya?" he didn't sound very convinced, but I didn't want to make an issue of it.

"Okay we should get back to that stairway," I said heading off as fast as I could. We got out of the water and followed the multi colored rock stairway. At the top Auron stopped to talk to Yuna and I listened in.

"They'll be upon us soon. She has sent fiends to test our summoner's strength."

"Who is she?" She asked softly.

"Yunalesca," he answered flatly.

"Lady Yunalesca?"

"In Zanarkand she awaits the arrival of the strongest."

"She… is still alive?"

"As much as Mika and Seymour."

"I see," Yuna said with a frown.

"Lost your nerve?" Auron asked raising an eyebrow above his shades.

"No, nothing frightens me now." Yeah right, I thought.

"Braska would be proud," Auron said patting her shoulder lightly.

"Then, I must not let him down," was her only answer.


	12. I Want To Tell You Everything

We ran out to the summit as fast as we could. What we found really wasn't what I had expected. Orange light covered the entire side of the mountain; the skyline was trapped in a perpetual twilight. Auron was more grim than usual.

"It comes!" A gigantic winged beast appeared before us. This must have been what she sent, I thought. It didn't take long for us to bring it down and it occurred to me that we had come a long way from Besaid Island.

"Hey! Can't we rest a little?" Rikku wined cutely.

"No need," Auron said in a soft voice. "We reach the summit soon."

"I know, that's why I want to stop for a bit, soon means that… there's not much time left." Rikku sat down and curled up in a ball, I wanted to do the same. I wasn't ready for any of what was to follow either, but a man does what he has to do.

"Rikku…" Yuna said with a small sigh.

"Fine, I'll think on the way." It was the first time I'd eve heard real anger in her voice, and I think it was the last. I didn't want to go… I guess that feeling was all over my face.

"Hey, come on. Lest go," Wakka said hanging back with me. I still didn't know how to react to the things we had spoken about in Gagazet but I felt like I needed him then, even if we didn't talk about anything at all.

"We are… almost there, aren't we?" he put his hand on my shoulder and the warmth radiated all the way across my back.

"We've come a long way," he said while gently guiding me forward with his hand. I heard Auron chuckle ahead of us.

"What's so funny?"

"You remind me of myself." Auron said, "Before, the closer I came to Zanarkand, the more I wondered… when we arrive, Braska will call the Final Aeon… He will fight Sin, and then die. I thought my mind was made up long before. But when I stood here, my resolve wavered."

"Huh, never would have figured. Legendary guardians choke sometimes too, ya?" Wakka said with a grin. Auron let out another short laugh.

"Legendary guardian? I was just a boy, a boy about your age actually. I wanted to change the world too, but I changed nothing. That is my story." Auron walked off slowly, Wakka and I looked at each other for a long moment and then we followed. We reached the summit, and I saw it for the first time.

A city dead for a thousand years, a city I had to see with my own eyes. The end of Yuna's journey, and the last chapter in my story. My thoughts, they kept floating up and then slipping through my fingers, slipping away before I could pin them down with words.

"Yuna, I say no. If we go down there you'll…"

"Rikku, you're a true friend and I thank you, but… I must go down to Zanarkand." Yuna said staring down at her wand.

"I'm not saying we shouldn't go, but… Shouldn't we think about it a little longer? There's got to be some way we can save you, Yuna!"

"All my life, I knew this moment would come." The certainty in Yuna's voice filled my heart with sadness.

"Yunnie…" Yuna stepped forward, hugging Rikku and dropping a sphere recording.

"Thank you Rikku. Thank you for everything."

"Don't say that Yunnie! It's not over yet!"

"Tell Cid thank you." Rikku shrank at her words.

"No… you can tell him yourself."

"Please…"

"Yunnie don't say that because we're going to see each other again okay?" I thought I was going to start crying and I knew that Rikku was already there.

"Kimahri lets go," Yuna said softly. After everyone had turned the corner I stopped to look at her sphere. I listened to it for a long time; I could hear the wind blowing in the background.

"Sir Auron," Yuna started in her recording. "Kimahri told me… when my father wanted me taken form Bevelle to Besaid… It was you who told Kimahri, right?" I could see the lodge on Mi'hein Highroad but Yuna was nowhere in sight, it was only her voice. "I had always wanted to meet you some day. I am truly glad that I had a chance. Having you as a guardian was so great an honor I don't know how to thank you. Perhaps, if I defeat Sin, that will be my thanks to you. That's what I'll do. Yes, I will challenge Sin. I will defeat Sin. If you are all there watching, then I guess Sin is already gone. And so am I, I suppose. Anyway I just wanted to say: Sir Auron, I thank you. Kimahri… do you remember the first day we met? I was only seven. My father had defeated Sin, and all Bevelle was celebrating. Everyone was saying what a hero my father was. I was so happy, but when night came, it occurred to me. My father had defeated Sin and now he was dead. Now I was alone. I couldn't sleep, so I wandered into town, away from the celebrating crowds. I stood on the bridge in Bevelle where my father and I had parted. Standing there, alone, I could see the fields where he had fought Sin. Then you appeared Kimahri. You said you were looking for the daughter of Braska, remember? At first, I was so scared… until I realized what a gentle person you are. You weren't used to talking to children. When I told you that I was Braska's daughter… you said you would take me as far from Bevelle as you could. That it was the wish of a man facing death, I think… I cried then. Because that… that was when I knew my father was dead… and I would never see him again. You just held me, without saying a word. I cried after we got to Besaid, too. When you tried to go after leaving me in the care of the temple… I held on to you crying 'don't go, don't go!' and you listened Kimahri, you stayed. Kimahri thank you. Thank you so much. And I've always liked your broken horn.

Wakka, Lulu: I'll never forget my days spent with you, growing up in Besaid. We always played together, us and Chappu. That's why I was always so happy, I think. And when you refused to let me become a summoner and I did it anyway… I'm sorry. I've always wanted to apologize. You know, when you tried to stop me then—really, I was happy. You were like my big brother and sister. What else… I love watching you play Blitz ball Wakka! I even love it when you scold me Lulu! Really. I guess that leaves my newest guardian… the star player of the Zanarkand Abes. You are… I am… I'm glad that we met on Besaid. We haven't even known each other that long, but… it's funny. So this is what it feels like. It's a much more wonderful feeling than I ever imagined. Wonderful… but it hurts sometimes. I wonder. I just… I just want to thank you for everything… maybe that's why it hurts. I think about us never being together again… I'm afraid. No, I shouldn't say that. I'll do that part over. Um…" I heard my voice in the recording and then the sphere was over.

I entered the Ruins trying to catch up to everyone else. I recognized the beings imbedded in stone. But then, I guess I had never really seen them to begin with. When I finally made my way down the slope, everyone was all bundled up around a meager camp fire. I guess… no one was ready to go yet. I looked at our weapons all stuck in the ground together, it felt like a prophecy with the pyre flies lingering around. I thought 'this is it' and honestly, it was. Rikku knelt by the fire with her hands on her temples. She wouldn't give up no matter what. Wakka and Lulu sat close together, whispering back and forth. It was so quiet, nothing like my Zanarkand at all. I wished… I wished I'd never known that none of it was real. That I wasn't real, but there I was, wasn't I?

Auron and Kimahri sat staring at each other, I couldn't take it. I got up and gave Yuna a kiss on the cheek before I left. I slowly made my way back up the summit and as I looked over the ruins of Zanarkand I thought about what I was going to do, how to support Yuna, how to support everyone… What I would do in my last few days on Spira. As I thought, everything came together. Listen to my story, this maybe our last chance.

I closed my eyes when I got back to camp. I wanted to talk, and we all talked over our journey until it was dark, and we all had to scoot closer together. And as I heard all the words of our journey, I felt like there should be more. Like something was missing.


End file.
